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Brute Force (1947) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   2,030 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 58% 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
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller 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:
Ahead of It's Time more (39 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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)
Richard Gaines ... McCollum
Frank Puglia ... Ferrara
James Bell ... Crenshaw
Howard Duff ... Robert 'Soldier' Becker (as Howard Duff Radio's Sam Spade)
Art Smith ... Dr. Walters
Whit Bissell ... Tom Lister
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Bobby Barber ... Jack, Prisoner in Yard (uncredited)
Guy Beach ... Convict foreman (uncredited)
Ralph Brooks ... Convict (uncredited)
Paul Bryar ... Harry (uncredited)
Howland Chamberlain ... Joe's lawyer (uncredited)
Eddy Chandler ... Chappie, Motor Pool Guard in Garage (uncredited)
Edmund Cobb ... Bradley (tower guard) (uncredited)

Claudette Colbert ... Clip from 'The Egg and I' (archive footage) (uncredited)

Gino Corrado ... Italian father (uncredited)
William Cozzo ... Prisoner (uncredited)
Rex Dale ... Prisoner (uncredited)
Virginia Farmer ... Sadie (uncredited)
Al Ferguson ... Guard (uncredited)
Alex Frazer ... Chaplain (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton ... Prison Guard (uncredited)
John Harmon ... Roberts (uncredited)
Herbert Heywood ... Chef (uncredited)
Al Hill ... Convict in chow line (uncredited)
Lee Kendall ... Shorty (uncredited)
Rex Lease ... Hearse driver (uncredited)
Jack S. Lee ... Sergeant (uncredited)
Will Lee ... Convict in chow line (uncredited)
Kenneth MacDonald ... Cell check guard (uncredited)

Fred MacMurray ... Clip from 'The Egg and I' (archive footage) (uncredited)
Hal Malone ... Young inmate (uncredited)
Frank Marlowe ... Prisoner (uncredited)
Francis McDonald ... Regan (uncredited)
Don McGill ... Max (uncredited)
Larry McGrath ... Convict in chow line (uncredited)
Charles McGraw ... Andy (uncredited)
Howard M. Mitchell ... Guard (uncredited)

Edmond O'Brien ... Inmate (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien ... Convict (uncredited)
Blanche Obronska ... Young girl (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor ... Prison Guard (uncredited)
James O'Rear ... Wilson (uncredited)
Kenneth Patterson ... Bronski (uncredited)
Charles Perry ... Prisoner in Yard (uncredited)
Carl Rhodes ... Strella (uncredited)
Sam Rizhallah ... Convict son (uncredited)
Wally Rose ... Peary (uncredited)
Gene Roth ... Hoffman (uncredited)
Jerry Salvail ... Guard (uncredited)
Ruth Sanderson ... Miss Lawrence (uncredited)
Tom Steele ... Tom (tower machine gunner) (uncredited)
Glenn Strange ... Tompkins (uncredited)
Ray Teal ... Jackson, Munsey's Guard (uncredited)
Kippee Valez ... Visitor (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel ... Guard in machine shop (uncredited)
Peter Virgo ... Guard (uncredited)
Billy Wayne ... Prisoner (uncredited)
Crane Whitley ... Armed guard in drainpipe (uncredited)
Harry Wilson ... Tyrone, Prisoner in Yard (uncredited)
Bud Wolfe ... Guard in machine shop (uncredited)
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Directed by
Jules Dassin 
 
Writing credits
Richard Brooks (screenplay)

Robert Patterson (story)

Produced by
Jules Buck .... associate producer
Mark Hellinger .... producer
 
Original Music by
Miklós Rózsa  (as Miklos Rozsa)
 
Cinematography by
William H. Daniels  (as William Daniels)
 
Film Editing by
Edward Curtiss 
 
Art Direction by
John DeCuir  (as John F. DeCuir)
Bernard Herzbrun 
 
Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman 
Charles Wyrick 
 
Costume Design by
Rosemary Odell (gowns)
 
Makeup Department
Carmen Dirigo .... hair stylist
Bud Westmore .... makeup artist
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Fred Frank .... assistant director
 
Art Department
John Decker .... portrait painter (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Charles Felstead .... sound
Robert Pritchard .... sound
 
Special Effects by
David S. Horsley .... special photography
 
Music Department
Eugene Zador .... orchestrator (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Jacques Gordon .... technical advisor
Harry B. Friedman .... publicist (uncredited)
Mark Hellinger .... presenter (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
98 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
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
Company:
Mark Hellinger Productions more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Film debut of Howard Duff. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: During the fight in the guard tower between Munsey and Collins, guard Tom seems to have been killed, but the stunt actor Tom Steele who plays him is very clearly doubling Hume Cronyn. more
Quotes:
Robert 'Soldier' Becker: But you know how the breaks go. With me, one rap lead to another. Anyway, I was never able to make it. Maybe this time. more
Movie Connections:
Features The Egg and I (1947) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
12 out of 17 people found the following comment useful.
Ahead of It's Time, 19 September 2003
Author: BJJ-2 from Manchester, England

For the era it was made(late 1940's),BRUTE FORCE is surprisingly brutal and vicious in places,pre-dating similar antics from James Cagney two years later in WHITE HEAT. The majority of Hollywood prison movies seem to have riots in them and this is no exception,but BRUTE FORCE has arguably the most explosive of the lot,with tear gas,shootings,and killings galore. Mind you,with a warder as brutal as Hume Cronyn(who sadly died recently)in charge,it's no wonder.His psychological bulling of mild-mannered inmate Whit Bissell leads to the former's suicide,and savage beating of Sam Levene results in near death. The misery,waste,and isolation of prison life is well observed here,with fine performances all round,but especially from Cronyn and Jeff Corey,as a cringing,cowardly informer,both of whom incur the rage of the intense Burt Lancaster.

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