Instant Favorite.

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

BRUBAKER is another exemplary, hard-hitting slice-of-life prison drama from the director who brought us COOL HAND Luke. Robert Redford has never been better as a prison warden who goes undercover in his new posting in order to learn the ins and outs of the place - the ultimate UNDERCOVER BOSS! He soon learns that corruption is endemic in the system and vows to clean it out, with the usual repercussions. This lengthy drama is full to the brim of great sub-plots, moving scenes, fine character work from the supporting cast (David Keith and a debuting Morgan Freeman stand out alongside Yaphet Kotto, Joe Spinell, and Everett McGill as the guards) and a general quality feel. Overall, though, it's Redford himself who sells the picture, embodying his character with a real drive and spirit which is truly inspiring.

Robert Redford stars in this film about a new prison warden attempting to weed out corruption in a decrepit prison farm. The twist early on is Brubaker's entry to the farm as a prisoner, so he can witness first-hand the situation he will be dealing with as warden. As a prisoner on the inside, he sees the brutal beatings of prisoners and witnesses their uncomfortable environment. One of the more interesting aspects of the plot is the use of prisoners as "overseers" of the other prisoners. Like the character of Dathan in Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments", there are prisoners keeping other prisoners down, contributing to the penal deficiencies. These overseers take bribes, beat other prisoners and are generally malicious. This adds the twist to the plot - not only does Brubaker have to deal with the corrupt state officials running the prison system, he has to overcome the corrupt prisoners in charge of maintaining the farm. There is another complexity to this, because usually prisoner-on-prisoner brutality involves those on equal footing. Not here - the prisoners scramble for overseer appointments so they can dominate those they had just been with on equal ground. They learn their lessons well in the U.S. penal system. Almost every prison film features a scene or two dealing with "the hole," the solitary confinement cells. Brubaker is no different, although the two main scenes involving the isolation cells are pivotal. In the first, Brubaker is still posing as a prisoner, but he asserts his authority when an isolated prisoner (Morgan Freeman) loses his mind. The second scene takes place after Brubaker has taken over as warden, and he orders the solitarily-confined prisoners to be taken outside once a day and provided with sunglasses. The connection between these two scenes is very key in understanding Brubaker's motivations. He sees the effects of the penal system on Freeman's character, and when he takes over, Redford attempts to correct the ills of that particular penal problem. The symmetry was one of the better moments in the film, illustrating the process of improving the penal system. Redford's age is very apparent now, but in this 1980 film, he looks beleaguered. Is it the role, or the actor in the role? I enjoyed the stoic nature of his character, unwilling to bend or break when faced with the opposition presented by the corrupted state officials. The end of the film is sort of cheesy, with the inmates showing tribute to their fired warden as he rides out of sight. But overall, the film succeeds at showing two things - the mistreatment of prisoners (whether by fellow prisoners or "guards") and the corruption within the penal system. Redford shows a unique ability to respect many of his inmates, and this film is the only one focusing on the warden's perspective on prison. This different approach puts certain penal issues in a different light, although Redford's character still faces the same adversity as the inmates do--fighting a corrupt system attempting to keep them down. In one sense, Redford is an inmate, a "prisoner" of the penal system corruption, fighting for the rights of the prisoner. Last note - the movie is a little too long. That knocks it down a bit.

My favorite kind of dramas have been those regarding prisons and their attempt to reform inmates. In fact, my top 2 films all time are 1994's Shawshank Redemption and 1999's The Green Mile. This film, Brubaker may not reach that scale, but it's still a great movie that tackles the subject of prison corruption. The film is well-acted especially by Robert Redford. Stuart Rosenberg's film is about a man named Brubaker who is a new warden at this Arkansas prison. He disguises himself as a prisoner to witness the corruption firsthand. When he reveals himself, he enacts many changes which angers the local community because they benefited from the corruption. After Brubaker threatens to reveal secrets about old murders, Brubaker's life may be threatened. Robert Redford delivers another fine performance, a more subtle performance this time around. But as the man who is performing the right moral moves and receiving sneers and jeers from everyone around him, he does a great job withholding to the pressure. There were also good performances from the likes of Yaphet Kotto and Jane Alexander as well as an early great performance from Morgan Freeman.Overall, Brubaker is a very good film. It is not the best prison drama ever made, but it still is a highly entertaining one. The one thing I suggest would have worked was more scenes involving Brubaker's disguise. I felt the beginning of the film moved too fast. A good drama with some thriller aspects. The film shows that prison corruption is more real than it seems. I rate this film 9/10.

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.