Brubaker (1980)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Stuart Rosenberg

Writers:

Joe Hyams (book)
Thomas O. Murton (book)

Release Date:

20 June 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The most wanted man in Wakefield prison is the warden!

Plot:

The new warden of a small prison farm in Arkansas tries to clean it up of corruption after initially posing as an inmate.

Plot Keywords:

Corruption | Prison | Abuse | Prison Farm | Murder

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Robert Redford	...	Henry Brubaker
Yaphet Kotto	...	Richard 'Dickie' Coombes
Jane Alexander	...	Lillian Gray
Murray Hamilton	...	John Deach
David Keith	...	Larry Lee Bullen
Morgan Freeman	...	Walter
Matt Clark	...	Roy Purcell
Tim McIntire	...	Huey Rauch
Richard Ward	...	Abraham Cook
Jon Van Ness	...	Zaranska
M. Emmet Walsh	...	C.P. Woodward
Albert Salmi	...	Rory Poke
Linda Haynes	...	Carol
Everett McGill	...	Eddie Caldwell
Val Avery	...	Wendel

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:18 (1980) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Columbus, Ohio, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Bob Rafelson started as director, but was replaced by Stuart Rosenberg.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In a restaurant scene, a Conn's Potato Chip sales display can be seen. Conn's are only made and sold in Ohio, not Arkansas.

Quotes:

Lillian Gray: You can't reform the system if you're not in it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Teen-Age Crime Wave (#6.22)" (1994)

The best prison picture ever

Though Shawshank Redemption has gotten the critical raves and the box office receipts that could make it the best prison story ever filmed, my personal choice for the best film ever done about the penal system is Brubaker.

Based on the true life experiences of Thomas Murton, the co-author of the book the film is based on, Brubaker captures the realities of prison life, the complexities of trying to "reform" the system without sacrificing one iota of entertainment.

Robert Redford leads a great ensemble cast in this film. The people here are real, dealing with complex issues for which there are no simple answers. The corruption of the penal system runs deep and helped in part by the prisoners themselves who don't want to see too much change at once or have a vested interest in seeing things run just as they are. Yaphetto Kotto and Tim McIntire are two such prison trustees, both of them showing very different reasons why they don't like some or all of what Redford is doing as warden.

Among the supporting cast, I'd like to single out David Keith who was the best as the prisoner whose life Brubaker says and ultimately becomes his biggest booster in the joint. A really outstanding job by David Keith as this simple country kid who just got caught up in "the system."

Rare you can say a film is informative as well as entertaining, but Brubaker definitely fits in both categories.