Customer Reviews

Brubaker [VHS]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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

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.

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.

This ranks right up there with ... as one of the great "hero with integrity goes up against the corrupt system" movies of all time.

I used to teach American Government and would show this and Redford's ... Two of the best political films of all time.

This movie brings up many important and insightful issues involving prison reform/management.

Robert Redford is Brubaker, an honest expert in corrections sent to clean up a trouble-plagued penitentiary. Sent to Wakefield Brubaker enters undercover, living his first few days as a prisoner. We learn that for its brutality, Wakefield was conceived along the lines of a noble experiment - one that gave the prisoners unusual autonomy, and was intended to actually correct those imprisoned there. Instead, the experiment has carved a super-class of prisoners who rule over the rest of the prisoners as Trustees. Unafraid to use force, they skim off books while stealing supplies already paid for. Brubaker, once revealed as the new warden, slowly but surely turns the system upside down - he can't move too quickly because those prisoners or administrators who are most guilty are also the only ones who can tell him what's wrong. Eventually discarding the old guard, Brubaker soon learns that Wakefield has an even darker secret, one whose discovery threatens the Wakefield's future.

This was a good movie, although it's hard to understand the first time around. The sophisticated system of prisoner autonomy is somewhat hard to believe unless you've already seen the movie before. The setting is interesting - a dessicated prison, complete with an antique electric chair (which emerges from the shadows like the monster from "Alien" - quite yet terrifying). That said, the movie has no surprises (comparisons to "Last Castle" are incorrect). Brubaker is an utterly honest and incorruptible soul. Once we see how he uncovers grafters among the prison administration and trustees, there's little more for him to do. We know that outside businessmen will be corrupt croneys and that even well meaning corrections bureaucrats will try to rein Brubaker in for the good of the system. The movie blows what should be its focus - having Brubaker connect with the prisoners - something he does too easily, too much so considering that his first speech reminds them that they are prisoners and that they are there for a reason. There also aren't enough really supportive roles - as if Yaphet Kotto was the only reliable prisoner. Still worth a look.

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.

I've never heard of Brubaker and the true story behind it. It was on AMC (American Movie Classics) earlier today and I found myself watching it. I really enjoyed it and was saddened to hear that Brubaker was fired because he stood up for something that everyone else was afraid to, or didn't want to admit the corrupt system in that southern prison. The conditions I saw reminds me of the prisons in the dark ages and how 'disgusting' the living conditions were. It blew me away that those men had to live in terrible conditions at this day in age. I almost don't want to think about prisons that are in that very condition (probably worse) throughout the world. I applaud Mr. Brubaker for having the guts to stand up for a group of men where no one else would.

This is an excellent movie to watch. I also reccomend it because history is meant to "learn from".

There are only a handful of good prison movies from what I have seen over forty plus years. "Shawshank Redemption", "Brubaker", and "Birdman of Alcatraz" are three of the best. I don't care about Redford's personal politics and therefore my review is not political unlike one rant here. The story is based on a true event, and the acting is superb. My wife asked me the other day if I had replaced my VHS of this with the DVD. I realized I hadn't and I was long overdo to see this again. I immediately ordered it. The movie is one of Redford's best so fans of his should definitely see it. If you aren't a fan, then see it because it is a good drama about what sometimes occurs in prisons whether those that work in that environment like it or not. Corruption happens in all systems so people in law enforcement should not take this movie as an insult, but merely as good drama loosely based on what really happened at a prison many years ago.

Another film, but in 1980 it was one of the first, on prison reform. The interest is in the fact that the new boss of the prison gets inside the prison as an inmate, unknown of everyone in the prison. So we get a first part that depicts, from inside, all the unethical dealings and purely criminal acts from the prison guards as well as from the inmates. Simple prisoners are the victims of all kinds of violence from the trustees, from the bullies and they have to buy their way through this permanent ordeal even from the doctor who sells his medical assistance, not to speak of the slave labor the prison provides to local contractors or businesses, entrepreneurs in a word that may turn into undertakers, and even the finagling and embezzling and trafficking of the prison guards with the food and anything that can be taken, legally or illegally, from the prisoners and sold at a price. The second part is the first dealings of the new boss with the problem and we discover even more scandalous crimes from inside the administration including the systematic torturing and killing of resisting inmates. The third part deals with the reaction of the prison board, the senator, the governor, and other officials when they learn what is happening, i.e. the attempt to open up the various chapters of this book of torture and killing. And then we discover some more embezzling and the will to cover it all up. They will eventually fire that resisting warden. We also discover in this third part that prison reformers are ready to accept any compromise, i.e. to cover up the crimes of all officials provided they get some investment for the prison, provided the truncheons get gilded points. The last scene is the emotional departure of the fired warden and a last written statement on what happened afterwards showing or proving the story was a true story. Of course the point of view of the inmates themselves is not explored, but the film is very effective about prison reform and what the minimum has to be: to give back to the inmates all their human rights lest they may go to court to fight for them, which is slightly romantic for us to believe that.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines