IMDb > Brute Force (1947)
Brute Force
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Brute Force (1947) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   1,993 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Jules Dassin
Writers:
Richard Brooks (screenplay)
Robert Patterson (story)
Contact:
View company contact information for Brute Force on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 June 1947 (USA) more
Tagline:
Mark Hellinger's POWER PACKED PICTURE! (re-release print ad - mostly caps) more
Plot:
At a tough penitentiary, prisoner Joe Collins plans to rebel against Captain Munsey, the power-mad chief guard. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Spring Preview: A Repertory Calendar for the Coasts
 (From IFC. 18 February 2009, 2:17 PM, PST)

Dassin, Hershfeld To Show Early Work
 (From Studio Briefing - Film News. 11 October 2001)

User Comments:
Brute Force is a knockout! more (39 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Burt Lancaster ... Joe Collins

Hume Cronyn ... Capt. Munsey
Charles Bickford ... Gallagher

Yvonne De Carlo ... Gina Ferrara
Ann Blyth ... Ruth

Ella Raines ... Cora Lister
Anita Colby ... Flossie
Sam Levene ... Louie Miller #7033
Jeff Corey ... 'Freshman' Stack
John Hoyt ... Spencer
Jack Overman ... Kid Coy
Roman Bohnen ... Warden A.J. Barnes
Sir Lancelot ... Calypso
Vince Barnett ... Muggsy
Jay C. Flippen ... Hodges (guard)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
98 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
Norway:16 | UK:A (cut) (original rating) | West Germany:16 (nf) | USA:Approved (PCA #12441) | Finland:K-16 | Australia:PG

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Film debut of Howard Duff. more
Goofs:
Continuity: During a scene in the cell, Jeff Corey's character is washing his hair. His hair alternates between lathered and not lathered. more
Quotes:
Calypso: [Guards are taking roll call at the prison cells, calling each inmate's name. When he's called, Calypso, instead of a simple "here," answers with a musical verse, sung Calypso-style] "I'm here Mr. Man, I can't tell no lie. And I'll be right here till the day I die." more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Last Castle (2001) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
18 out of 20 people found the following comment useful.
Brute Force is a knockout!, 30 October 2004
Author: bscowler from Seattle, WA

I've read recent reviews of this film that condemn it for being "outdated" or not "relevant". Um, hello? This movie is is fifty-seven years old! As such, we are treated to typical 1940s Hollywood stereotypes and acting methods, not to mention references to the recently completed war. Yet, even within the pitfalls of the studio system, this film shines as a great example of film noir.

Director Jules Dassin is brilliant with light, and sets the example for the French "new wave" of cinema. Lighting Burt Lancaster from the side, or from underneath, makes him and the other actors look almost surreal.

Most of the dialogue is "clipped" and preposterous, but films from this era often suffer from this same problem. Yet "Brute Force" retains its original power simply by virtue of the dynamite performances, the stirring score, and the gritty techniques of Dassin.

I had to smile during the scene where Hume Cronyn's character turns up the Wagner on his hi-fi so the guards outside his door won't hear the inmate he's about to beat scream. This was mimicked during David Lynch's ground-breaking TV series "Twin Peaks" when a character turned up his radio before he beat his wife. Of course beating people isn't funny, but seeing obvious references in cinema is always a kick.

I highly recommend "Brute Force" to anyone who appreciates the art of film, great directing, and fine performances.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Brute Force (1947)
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The fight between Lancaster and Cronyn mozartmessiah
Yaa, yaaa, yeaahh moviewatchinguy
Hume Cronyn was magnificient in this great movie! wtl471629
The DVD-release famalberts
Edmond O'Brien in 'Brute Force' The Daz
It is coming to TCM on 6-18-09 at 6:15 P.M. EST wtl471629
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