Brubaker (1980)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

best movie i've ever seen.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The new warden (Robert Redford) of a small prison farm in Arkansas tries to clean it up of corruption after initially posing as an inmate.I don't think this is one of Redford's better-known films, and the true story it is based off of is not well known either. But it is a darn fine film, and if for no other reason, people should see it for the young Morgan Freeman. At this point in his career, he didn't even have the full "voice of God" yet.What I find most interesting about this story is not the treatment of the prisoners, but how those on the outside abused the system. In real life, did they really purchase all sorts of equipment that was never sent? That is major corruption. And the "slave labor" seems sketchy, even more questionable than the 13th Amendment's rules allow.

A prisoner (Robert Redford) arrives at Wakefield State Penitentiary in Arkansas. He witnesses rampant abuse and corruption from the guards and prison officials. The prison is a dangerous overcrowded gulag. Eddie Caldwell (Everett McGill) is a cruel inmate given the powers of a guard. Larry Lee Bullen (David Keith) is a lifer trying to do right. Prisoner Walter (Morgan Freeman) suffering from solitary confinement takes Bullen hostage. The mysterious prisoner comes to the rescue revealing himself to be the new warden Henry Brubaker. He institutes reforms with the help of inmates Bullen and Dickie Coombes (Yaphet Kotto).The scariest thing about this prison isn't the torture, the rape, or the corruption. It's that most of prison seems to be run by the inmates. The tower guards are prisoners. The clerks are prisoners. In fact, I can't tell who's not a prisoner. Brubaker is a bit too heroic. He's one of those impossible people and almost inhuman. It's trying to advocate something rather than be a compelling story. The prison is a gritty place. That's one of most compelling aspect of the movie.

Brukaker is, in my opinion, the best, most authentic prison life movie ever made. This movie at times resembles a documentary made utilizing a hidden camera. The cast is suburb! The cinematography is amazing - subdued hues and infrequent, yet mournful music. Robert Redford is simply astounding in his role of the new warden trying to rehabilitate a Dante's inferno of a prison farm in Arkansas. This is NOT a "feel good" kind of movie - definitely NOT for kids. This is a brutal, straight forward expose of the mistreatment of prisoners and the political morass that suppresses all attempts to bring fair and humane treatment to them. I highly recommend this movie to anyone seeking to see a remarkable movie that will engross you from the beginning to the end.

In my summary, I say not to watch this film unless you he two and a quarter hours to spare. That's because I made the mistake of starting the film around midnight--intending to only watch a few minutes and then go to bed. However, at almost 2:30am, I was still awake--ratcheted to the TV screen watching "Brubaker" until its exciting conclusion.The film is essentially the experiences of Tom Murton as warden of a hellish prison in Arkansas--although unlike the movie, he did NOT enter the prison disguised as a prisoner. The horror of it all is what makes this very compelling viewing--and a film you should NOT let your kids watch. Rather vivid depictions of beatings, rapes and other violence against the prisoners (mostly by other prisoners) make this tough viewing--and the viewer should think about this first. Now this is NOT a criticism--the harsh language and violence is necessary to adequately show the horrible conditions existing in this prison in the 1960s. In many ways, it's much more horrific than "The Shawshank Redemption"--and unlike this Stephen King story, "Brubaker" is true. Corruption on a massive scale and the state's unwillingness to reform make this a very compelling movie.Excellent acting by the ensemble cast make this an amazing movie to watch. And, not surprisingly, Robert Redford is his usual exceptional self. The only negative is that despite a great story and acting, the direction and editing are poor. An egregious example is late in the story. One of the trustees escape during a rain storm and is being tracked down by Brubaker and some other trustees. However, as they track him down there is dust everywhere and no trace of rain---talk about sloppy! Still, this is a minor technical quibble and the film is one of the best prison films I have seen.