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Brubaker (1980)

14+ | | Crime, Drama | 20 June 1980 (USA)
Brubaker Poster
Clip
5:10 | Clip
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) | 3 more credits »

Stars:

Robert Redford, Yaphet Kotto, Morgan Freeman | See full cast & crew »
54
Reviews
Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination. See more awards »

Videos

See all 2 videos  »

Photos

See all 72 photos »
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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
See full cast »
Learn more

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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. Written by Brian W Martz <B.Martz@Genie.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

prison | abuse of power | undercover | character name as title | corruption | See All (34) »

Taglines:

The most wanted man in Wakefield prison is the warden! See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama

Certificate:

14+ | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

One of two movies first released in 1980 that were set in prisons and featured actor Morgan Freeman. The pair of penitentiary pictures are Attica (1980) and Brubaker (1980). See more »

Goofs

At the end, when the car is leaving the prison, the grass around is violently shaking revealing the helicopter carrying the camera. See more »

Quotes

Henry Brubaker: I don't see playing politics with the truth.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Vintage Video: Brubaker (1980) (2020) See more »

Soundtracks

Galveston
(uncredited)
Written by Jimmy Webb
Performed by Glen Campbell
Heard on Brubaker's car radio
See more »

User Reviews

 
You can't reform the system if you're not in it.
25 May 2007 | by lastliberal – See all my reviews

W.D. Richter did the screenplay for the 1978 remake of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He also did the screen story for this Robert Redford film about prison reform. In fact his screenplay/story was nominated for an Oscar.

I know prison reform is an anachronism today. Incarceration is simply removal from society with no concern for rehabilitation.

The film is based on real life. Thomas Murton of Arkansas tried to fix the system. I grew up in Arkansas and was exposed to stories about the "Tucker Telephone" from the Tucker prison farm, and stories of bodies of murdered prisoners being dug up on prison grounds.

So Redford sports a John Edwards haircut in the film, he still does a great job. He is assisted in this film by Yaphet Kotto, who I always enjoy, and Morgan Freeman.
15 of 18 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 June 1980 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Brubaker See more »

Filming Locations:

Columbus, Ohio, USA See more »
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Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,748,079, 22 June 1980

Gross USA:

$37,121,708

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$37,121,708
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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