Brubaker (1980)

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

Director:

Stuart Rosenberg

Writers:

W.D. Richter (screenplay), W.D. Richter (story)

Stars:

Robert Redford, Yaphet Kotto, Morgan Freeman

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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. 'Woody' Woodward
Albert Salmi	...	Rory Poke
Linda Haynes	...	Carol
Everett McGill	...	Eddie Caldwell
Val Avery	...	Wendel

Storyline

When the new warden comes in disguised as an inmate, he sees firsthand all the corruption and scams the guards and prison officials are running. When he reveals himself and starts to implement reforms to stop the corruption, the local business community, who had been benefiting from the scams, fights back, and the corrupt prison system starts making political trouble for the new warden.

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Plot Keywords:

corruption | prison | abuse of power | undercover | based on true story | 

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Taglines:

One man against a cruel system.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 June 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shadow Walk

Filming Locations:

Columbus, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,748,079, 22 June 1980, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$37,121,708

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final theatrical feature film of actor Richard Ward who portrayed Abraham Cook.

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Goofs

When Brubaker & another prisoner are taken to a local restaurant to drop off a steer; the guard drinks a beer which changes position in his hand after the camera goes back to the store owner for less than a second or two.

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Quotes

Henry Brubaker: Hey. Can we talk?
Walter: Who the fuck are you? I want the man!
Henry Brubaker: I am. I am the man. I'm the new warden here. My name's Henry Brubaker.
Walter: [throws Bullen and advances on Brubaker] Man, don't be fucking with my head. 'New warden' my ass!
Henry Brubaker: It's true - I swear it.
Walter: Then how come you look like a scumbag?
Henry Brubaker: 'Cause I'm fooling those guys out there.

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Connections

Referenced in Murphy's Law: Electric Bill (2003)

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Soundtracks

All for the Love of Sunshine
(uncredited)
Written by Mike Curb, Harley Hatcher and Lalo Schifrin
Performed by Hank Williams Jr.
Heard when the steer is dropped off at the diner

User Reviews

In prison, even the stink 'stinks'

Brubaker (Robert Redford) as a messiah-type, seemingly on the fringe of municipal importance, takes up the job of Warden at a Southern state penal farm and decides to see the extent of what he is up against by entering in disguise as just another inmate, with no privileges. He feels that to absorb the experience from the inside looking out is preferable to relying on preconceptions. He is right as the thrust of the film would have otherwise been lost and the overall plot (simple though it is) is stronger for the fact that Brubaker has 'been there'.

He manages to carve a bond with a few prisoners before he modestly reveals his true identity and, through a series of well acted confrontations, he begins to make the prison machine tick over nicely. In the final analysis his efforts are not totally successful, but the film does reflect change and at least the viewer can agree that he seized the chance to make a difference.

The film is possibly a bit too long and the principal character is under-developed. 'Brubaker' was apparently a rather mournful, strained film to work on and the original director, Bob Rafelson, was sacked for smacking Ron Silverman (producer) in the nose during an early on-set argument.

However, I think it is well acted and very absorbing to watch. I particularly enjoyed the scene where Brubaker gets his staff to release a few long term solitary confinements, stating that before they do so, the requisite pairs of sunglasses should be given to them as they come out of complete darkness for the first time in ages - the staff think Brubaker is crazy: of course, they cannot see that this is all about building trust. The master plan is therefore to get the inmates on board and allow the trustees to follow. Nice theory, not so nice to put into practice as he is up against a rancid, but self policing establishment from day one.

Watch out for Wilford Brimley as "Rogers" - a later teaming up with Redford took place in the outstanding "The Natural", with Brimley starring in a major role as the jaundiced, downtrodden, Pop Fisher.