| The Belko Experiment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Credits | |
| Title: | The Belko Experiment |
| Genres: | Thriller |
| Directed by: | Greg McLean |
| Written by: | James Gunn |
| Produced by: | Dan Clifton; James Gunn; Simon Hatt; Jimmy Holcomb; Peter Safran |
| Music by: | Tyler Bates |
| Cinematography: | Luis David Sansans |
| Edited by: | Julia Wong |
| Production | |
| Distributed by: | BH Productions The Safran Company Orion Pictures |
| Rating: | R |
| Running time: | 89 min. |
| Country: | USA |
| Language: | English |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | — |
| Next: | — |
The Belko Experiment is an American feature film of the thriller genre. It was directed by Greg McLean with a script written by James Gunn. It was produced by Orion Pictures, The Safran Company, and Blumhouse Productions and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 10th, 2016. It was released in the United States on March 17th, 2017. The premise of the film involves the Belko Corporation, which has a multi-floored office in Bogotá, Colombia. All employees of Belko are fitted with a tracking implant, due to the high level of kidnappings that take place in the region - of so they are told. In truth, a cabal of unseen puppet masters stage a human social experiment after putting the building on lockdown. Unless the people within agree to murder a specified number of individuals, the puppet masters will execute twice that number by activating the explosive implants in their heads. The Belko Experiment stars John Gallagher, Jr, as the point-of-view character, Mike Milch, with Tony Goldwyn as Belko COO Barry Norris. Also starring in the film is Adria Arjona as Mike's girlfriend, Leandra Florez, John C. McGinley as gung-ho pervert Wendell Dukes, Melonie Diaz as newcomer Dany Wilkins, and Owain Yeoman as English family man Terry Winter.
Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| John Gallagher, Jr. | Mike Milch |
| Tony Goldwyn | Barry Norris |
| Adria Arjona | Leandra Florez |
| John C. McGinley | Wendell Dukes |
| Melonie Diaz | Dany Wilkins |
| Owain Yeoman | Terry Winter |
| Sean Gunn | Marty Espenscheid |
| Brent Sexton | Vince Agostino |
| Josh Brener | Keith Mclure |
| David Dastmalchian | Lonny Crane |
| David Del Rio | Roberto Jerez |
| Gregg Henry | The Voice |
| Michael Rooker | Bud Melks |
| Rusty Schwimmer | Peggy Displasia |
Appearances[]
Characters
- Barry Norris - Chief Operating Officer and ex-Special Forces.
- Wendell Dukes - High-level executive; deemed a "pervert".
- Mike Milch - Mid-level officer worker.
- Leandra Florez - Foul-mouthed assistant to Wendell Dukes.
- Dany Wilkins - New kid on the block. 1st day on the job.
- Roberto Jerez- Gay Latino office employee.
- Terry Winter - English Fop and pushover when it comes to Norris.
- Lonny Crane - Maintenance man who loses his nerve.
- Bud Melks - Head of the maintenance department
- Leota Hynek - Officer worker and friend of Roberto Jerez.
- Keith McLure - Nerdy tech worker.
- Peggy Displasia - Mike Milch's administrative assistant.
- Evan Smith - Front desk security guard.
- Brian Vargas - an interpreter.
- Marty Espenscheid - A cafeteria worker and stoner.
- Chet Valincourt - Marty Espenscheid's friend.
- Raziya Memarian - Officer worker who greets Dany on her first day.
- Louisa Luna - Cleaning crew.
- Vince Agostino - Large office worker loyal to Norris.
- Ross Reynolds
- Robert Hickland
- Antonio Fowler
- Helena Barton
- Lorena Checo
- Bradley Lang
- Tyson Moon
- Luis Costa
- Agnes Meraz
- Sebastian Bruno
- Samantha Arcos
Locations
Items
Animals
Miscellaneous
- Building lockdown
- Broken neck
- Crushed body parts
- Exploding heads
- Gunshot victims
- Impalement
- Shot in the head
- Stabbings
- Head twisted around
Miscellaneous
- Death by elevator
- Trapped in a building
Notes[]
- The Belko Experiment redirects to this page.
- Orion Pictures is a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Formerly an independent entity, it was revived as a film production studio in 2013.
- James Gunn conceived the plot of this film from a dream he had.
- Production on The Belko Experiment began on July 12th, 2015. Exterior shots of the movie were filmed on-location in Bogotá, Colombia.
- The Belko Experiment received a rating of 44 on the Metacritic review website.
- The Belko Experiment received a 52% rotten rating on the film aggregate review site Rotten Tomatoes.
- The main setting for this film is Bogota, Colombia.
- Although the man behind "The Voice" is finally revealed at the end of the film, it is made clear that he is but a minor cog and in a much larger machine. The true architects behind the Belko Experiment are unknown.
Fun Facts[]
- This is John Gallagher, Jr.'s second thriller film released in 2016. He also played Emmett DeWitt in 10 Cloverfield Lane.
- This is very likely the first time in film that someone has been beaten to death with a tape dispense.
- Actor John C. McGinley is no stranger to films involving the stress of corporate America. He is also known for playing a consultant named Bob Slydell in the 1999 comedy film Office Space. Coincidentally, both films have an 89-minute running time. McGinley also played a character named Marvin in the 1987 drama Wall Street.
- Actor James Earl was a regular cast member on the short-lived TV series Ground Floor, which also starred John C. McGinley.
- Writer James Gunn has great affection for actor Michael Rooker. Rooker is also known for playing the blue-skinned alien Yondu Udonta in Gunn's superhero movies Guardians of the Galaxy, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
Explicit content[]
- Gore: There are numerous scenes depicting heads partially exploding. There are also a few stabbings, one impalement, one broken neck, and at least three instances of somebody's head being brutally bashed in. There is moderate to high volumes of blood splatter throughout the movie.
- Profanity: There is a moderate to high level of strong profanity used throughout the movie by various characters. Notable utterances include "Fuck", "Shit", "Asshole", and at least one "Cocksucker".
- Female partial nudity: There is no nudity in this film, though one woman undoes her shirt and offers herself to Barry Norris in exchange for her survival.
- Drug culture: One of the office employees is caught smoking a joint with a co-worker on the roof of the building. This later gives way to his mounting paranoia as the film progresses. Remember, kids. Don't do drugs!