Themes: Fighting the System, Whistleblowers, Prison Life
Main Cast: Robert Redford, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Alexander, Murray Hamilton, David Keith
Release Year: 1980
Country: US
Run Time: 131 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Fact-based drama starring Robert Redford as Henry Brubaker, the new inmate at a run-down Southern prison that's become notorious for corruption and violence. After he witnesses several instances of gross misconduct and defuses a tense confrontation with a crazed inmate (Morgan Freeman), Brubaker reveals to the guards and administrators that he's not a criminal at all, but the new warden, assigned by the governor to infiltrate the facility undercover. His identity confirmed, Brubaker takes office and sets about shaping up policies and procedures, despite resistance from, incredibly, even some of the more entitled convicts. With the help of the prison's chief trustee (Yaphet Kotto) and a compassionate ally (Jane Alexander), the warden effects some positive change, but powerful business interests line up against him when his ideas threaten their financial bottom line. A reform-minded, socially conscious, and politically liberal picture of the type usually associated with director Norman Jewison, this fact-based prison drama was the result of a troubled production that saw original director Bob Rafelson replaced with Cool Hand Luke (1967) and The Amityville Horror (1979) helmsman Stuart Rosenberg. Despite the backstage turmoil, Brubaker was an acclaimed release and an Oscar-nominated, career-finale triumph for co-screenwriter Arthur A. Ross, creator of Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) and father of successful writer/director Gary Ross. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Review
This 1980 prison drama exposed Arkansas' almost medieval criminal justice system. Stuart Rosenberg's stark direction is fraught with tension and inhumanity, rendering a dark, bleak view of prison life. The film merges the realism of a documentary like Scared Straight with the social commentary of Cool Hand Luke. When Robert Redford commandeers the warden position and attempts to uncover the grossly dehumanized prison protocol, Brubaker becomes an in-depth look at the politics of the penal system. Creeping inside the grimy corridors of a penitentiary, Rosenberg focuses on the dynamics, hierarchy, and uncomfortable balance of power that motivates prisons. With an eclectic supporting cast including Morgan Freeman, M. Emmet Walsh, and Wilford Brimley, the film is as authentic as it is gritty. ~ Mike DiBella, All Movie Guide
Morgan Freeman - Walter; Matt Clark - Purcell; Tim McIntire - Huey Rauch; Jon Van Ness - Zaranska; M. Emmet Walsh - C.P. Woodward; Albert Salmi - Rory Poke; Linda Haynes - Carol; Everett McGill - Caldwell; Val Avery - Wendell; Don Blakely - Jerome Boyd; Wilford Brimley - Rogers; Ritch Brinkley - Gate Guard; Kent Broadhurst - Whitley; Jane Cecil - Bea Williams; John Chappell - Captain Cleaves; James Dukas - Oafish Rankman; Nathan George - Leon Edwards; Hazen Gifford - Parridge; John Glover - Ackroyd; Brent Jennings - Mr. Clarence; James Keane - Pinky; Jerry Mayer - Barber; John McMartin - Senator Hite; Bill McNulty - Richards; William Newman - Dunfield; Jack O'Leary - Floor Walker; Vic Polizos - Billy Baylock; Roy Poole - Dr. Gregory; J.C. Quinn - Barber; Lee Richardson - Warden Renfrew; Ebbe Roe Smith - Pavitch; Joe Spinell - Birdwell; Noble Willingham - Dr. Fenster; Ronald C. Frazier - Willets; David Harris - Duane Spivey; Richard Ward - Abraham; Rob Garrison - Pretty Boy; Konrad Sheehan - Glenn Elwood; Alex Brown - Fenway Park; Allison Caine
Credit
J. Michael Riva - Art Director, Stuart Rosenberg - Director, Robert Brown - Editor, Ted Mann - Executive Producer, Lalo Schifrin - Composer (Music Score), Gary D. Liddiard - Makeup, Bruno Nuytten - Cinematographer, Ted Mann - Producer, Ron Silverman - Producer, John Franco, Jr. - Set Designer, Charles Wilborn - Sound/Sound Designer, Mickey Gilbert - Stunts, W.D. Richter - Screenwriter, Arthur A. Ross - Screenwriter
A mysterious man (Redford) arrives at a prison as an inmate and witnesses rampant abuse and corruption, including open and endemic sexual assault, torture, worm-ridden diseased food, insurance fraud and a doctor charging inmates for care, amongst other things. During a dramatic standoff, he reveals himself to be the new prison warden, Henry Brubaker, to the amazement of both prisoners and officials alike.
With ideals and vision, he attempts to reform the prison, with an eye towards prisoner rehabilitation and human rights. He recruits several long-time prisoners, including Larry Lee Bullen (Keith) and Richard "Dickie" Coombes (Kotto), to assist him with his reformation. Their efforts improve the prison conditions, but his stance inflames several corrupt officials on the prison board who have profited from graft for decades. When he discovers multiple unmarked graves of prisoners on the property, he attempts to unravel the mystery, leading to political scandal. When a trustee realizes that he might be held accountable for killing another inmate, he decides to make a run for it, the resulting gunfight proves to be the final ammunition that the prison board (acting with the tacit approval of the governor) needs to fire Brubaker.
Background
The film is based on the 1969 book Accomplices To The Crime: The Arkansas Prison Scandal by Tom Murton and Joe Hyams. Murton was a warden at the Tucker and Cummins Prison in Arkansas. The abuses detailed in the film and the discovery of unmarked graves are based on fact.
