Home :: DVD :: Mystery & Suspense  

Blackmail, Murder & Mayhem
British Mystery Theater
Classics
Crime
Detectives
Film Noir
General
Mystery
Mystery & Suspense Masters
Neo-Noir
Series & Sequels
Suspense
Thrillers
Brubaker

Brubaker

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $13.48
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful Wonderful movie.
Review: A based on a true story.One man tries to make a difference to restore the humanity to the lifes of 1500 hundred men. Only to be fought every step of the way. If you ever forget why to hate republicans and their love of money and distain for their fellow man watch this movie.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: great movie
Review: a great robbert redford movie brubaker by far is one of his best movies this movie was taped in deep southeastern ohio with a great cast great filming its a hit GREAT MOVIE

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Must See
Review: A wonderful movie for it's day, and even today.
I could see it being the Shawshank Redemption of the early 1980's, except this movie is true.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not your average prison movie....
Review: Brubaker is based on a true story and tells of the events of one man's attempts to reform a prison system mired in corruption, brutality, and a lack of order to any general degree.

Henry Brubaker, as stated in the movie, gained his past experience in corrections working in military prison systems. Brubaker hatches the ingenious plan to insert himself into the prison population at Wakefield Penitentiary as an inmate to experience first hand all the problems inside the facility. What he uncovers is nothing less than barbaric punishment methods, no structured management of inmates, lack of medical care, and the penitentiary itself in advance stages of disrepair.

Henry Brubaker, after revealing his status as the new warden and assuming his duties, goes on to discover that there are no state hired corrections officers on the staff. Inmate trustees, armed with weapons, are given the responsibility of manning watch towers, supervising work crews, and keeping the peace inside of the prison. Furthermore, prisoners are farmed out to local businessmen in the community for work with no pay which amounts to slave labor.

Upon deeper investigation into all the activities in and around the prison, Brubaker discovers other illegal activities including theft of prison food supplies and equipment, inmates being charged fees for almost non-existent medical care, and the revelation that there are prisoners buried on the prison property that were the victims of murder by fellow inmates.

Brubaker confronts the state prison board with these problems only to find out that the prison board is not only aware of these incidents, they think the system should reamin unchanged because it has always been this way and should remain so. You can sense their unhappiness with Brubaker as the new warden who wants to come in and upset their system rather than tow the line.

Henry Brubaker is portrayed as a man of honesty, integrity, and professionalism and in defying the prison board's message to leave well enough alone, he launches his own campaign to reform the prison and correct the wrongs he has inherited as the new warden. Unfortunately, with the power of the prison board and the governor of the state against him, he is eventually removed as the warden and fired.

In the final outcome, many inmates saw the necessity of the changes attempted by Brubaker and were dismayed at seeing him removed and the new warden not making proper progress to reform the prison. This prompted many inmates to file lawsuits against the state for inhumane prison conditions resulting in the governor not being re-elected the following year.

This movie is a fine drama with a very good plot, great acting, and poignant conclusion. I highly recommend this movie to everyone.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A film based on historical facts.
Review: Brubaker, the movie, never mentions the fact that it is based on the book, "Accomplices To The Crime", by Tom Murton and Joe Hyams. It also doesn't mention that the movie is based on actual events that took place in Arkansas in the 60's at the Tucker State Prison Farm. Author Tom Murton, now deceased, was, in fact, "Brubaker."Professor Tom Murton, Criminologist Tom Murton, was hired by the then Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, brother to Vice-President Nelson Rockefeller, to come to Arkansas to "clean up" the prison system. Nelson Rockefeller lost the nomination as the Republican Presidential candidate largely due to his role in the September, 1971 Attica, NY prison riot that cost both NYS Dept of Corrections employees' lives and lives of inmates. Law suits for that event were recently settled in the millions of dollars payable to inmate victim survivors and the families of inmate victims. Tom Murton was fired from his job in Arkansas, and Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller was not re-elected. Both Rockefellers largely ended their political careers by mis-handling their prisons. Some sort of legal agreement was reached between the movie maker and the State of Arkansas to not mention this historical connection.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A movie applicable to some corporate environments
Review: I have seen this movie several times, one of them while attending a seminar on implementing strategy at Wharton school. It applies to a corporate environment in the sense that the person at the top has to fight the politics and bureaucracy of its own board to accomplish his goals. The film is full of situatuations that illustrate the fight of the individual against his own people that is not committed to his efforts. In summary, it is the usual sacrifice of leadership in the process of reforming an institution. An excellent film to share with direct reports in a corporation. 5 stars.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An American Treasure!!
Review: I've been to the old abandoned prison where they shot the movie, went inside, and explored the place. I did this a few times just to make sure I covered the whole place. It took me a while to find a place that rented out Brubaker, but I finally found one. When I put in the tape, I expected to see some sucky movie that would bore me for the next 2 hours and 11 minutes, but I was pleasantly mistaken. Brubaker is an awesome movie. It's a battle between a man who wants to do the right thing, and a corrupt system that wants everything to stay as it was since they can remember. The screenplay, acting, story line, and emotional ties to the movie are great. I've since watched the movie about 7 times, enjoying it each time. I'm looking forward to the day that Brubaker comes out on DVD!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brubaker is Awesome
Review: I've been to the old abandoned prison where they shot the movie, went inside, and explored the place. I did this a few times just to make sure I covered the whole place. It took me a while to find a place that rented out Brubaker, but I finally found one. When I put in the tape, I expected to see some sucky movie that would bore me for the next 2 hours and 11 minutes, but I was pleasantly mistaken. Brubaker is an awesome movie. It's a battle between a man who wants to do the right thing, and a corrupt system that wants everything to stay as it was since they can remember. The screenplay, acting, story line, and emotional ties to the movie are great. I've since watched the movie about 7 times, enjoying it each time. I'm looking forward to the day that Brubaker comes out on DVD!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brubaker - A super movie
Review: I've seen this movie at least 5 times and every time I seem to enjoy it more and more. Robert Redford is superb as warden Brubaker, a new warden sent in undercover to see all the corruption that has been going on at Wakefield Prison. Yaphet Kotto does a great acting job in this as well, and a very young David Keith (An Officer and a Gentleman fame)has a bit part. I certainly recommend this movie. I can't wait until it arrives on the DVD format

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gritty, even unnerving, but an excellent film
Review: It is hard to watch Brubaker. The atmosphere in the prison is violent and crude, and the outlook is hopeless. Enter Robert Redford/Henry Brubaker as a man attempting to create an institution that punishes justly and retains humanity, a place of reform rather than one where murder, riot, and mayhem are the norm. Horrible things go on in this prison, and Brubaker combats the institutionalized system in the prison as well as the attitudes of the governing individuals. Redford does his usual great job as an ordinary man caught up in unusual circumstances, trying to make a difference and being prevented from this goal by those who want and benefit from a status quo. Lots of tragedy, lots of failure, this film is the story of an attempt that was defeated, not because the heroic effort was not up to the task or wavered, but because politics and politicians have to win. The film itself opens up a question, also, that may not be answerable -- where is the line drawn between compassion and just punishment when the criminals are incomprehensively violent.


<< 1 2 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates