Where to watch Brubaker online

Storyline

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

Released

1980-06-20
Revenue

$37,121,708
Budget

$9,000,000
Runtime

2hr 5m
Genre

Crime, Drama
Status

Released
Language

English
7.1
Production

20th Century Fox

Crew

Stuart Rosenberg

Director

W.D. Richter

Screenplay

Ron Silverman

Producer

Keywords:

prison undercover liberation of prisoners arkansas prison warden based on true story prison brutality abuse 1960s prison farm prisoner abuse

Stream and watch Brubaker

similar movies

The Docks of New York

All the President's Men

Birdman of Alcatraz

Cool Hand Luke

Past Life

Driving Miss Daisy

The Straight Story

La Strada

Schindler's List

A Beautiful Mind

Erin Brockovich

Bandyta

Monster

Johnny Handsome

The Blues Brothers

A Time to Live

Gandhi

Almost Famous

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

Cast

Videos and Photos

Movie Reviews

Reviews for Brubaker

A Review by John Chard 7.5

Written by John Chard on 2014-06-28

Corruption and Murder told with cathartic style. It's odd that whenever talk of Prison base films crops up you rarely see Brubaker mentio... read more

A Review by aushro3 10

Written by aushro3 on 2022-06-27

One of the top 3 prison based movie ever made but highly underrated, sometimes I feel really so sad when see that there are many many top cl... read more

A Review by Wuchak 6

Written by Wuchak on 2023-05-31

**_A maverick prison warden uncovers corruption and tries to make positive changes_** In 1967-1968, a state penal farm in Arkansas gets ... read more

**_A maverick prison warden uncovers corruption and tries to make positive changes_** In 1967-1968, a state penal farm in Arkansas gets a new warden (Robert Redford) who discovers condoned sexual abuse, severe beatings, electrical torture and extortion by inmates with guns who work as "trusty" guards (to save money otherwise spent on salaried guards). Then there’s the lousy quality and meager amount of sustenance for the inmates on a penal plantation that marketed enough produce and dairy products to create profits in the millions. “Brubaker” (1980) is a fictionalized detailing of Tom Murton’s 1969 book, Accomplices to the Crime: The Arkansas Prison Scandal. It’s a realistic prison drama with the expected grunginess and brutalities revealing how the penal installation was basically a means for the government to make money by treating inmates like property (slaves) to be used, abused and, when necessary, secretly thrown away in holes on the grounds. The movie’s not as dramatically compelling as it could be since it refuses to permit its characters more human dimension and flesh out interest, yet it raises interesting ideas. For instance, corruption exists when it is knowingly allowed at the higher levels of authority. How can you be an idealist in a world that is not ideal? Do you compromise with the corrupt powers that be in order to get SOMETHING done, or do you take the attitude of no compromise, period? The latter takes true dedication to noble principles, but what good is it if it prevents you from making positive changes? The movie “Serpico” (1973) shows that it can be done with challenging consequences. I’ll leave it to you to discover how this one pans out. A young Morgan Freeman shows up in the first act as a deranged prisoner in solitary confinement. He would of course go on to star in the more popular prison flick “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994), both movies shot in the heart of Ohio about 90 miles from each prison location. I should add that, while “Brubaker” is not popular like “Shawshank,” it was quite successful at the box office. Unsurprisingly, it’s is a mostly male story, but Jane Alexander has a pretty beefy role as a public relations specialist for the governor while Linda Haynes appears as a play thing for one of the corrupt trustys. If you’re in the mood for a flick in the mold of “Cool Hand Luke” (1967) and “The Longest Yard” (1974), “Brubaker” should fill the bill. One last thing, the ending was glaringly borrowed for “Dead Poets Society” (1989). The film runs 2 hours, 11 minutes, and was shot at the former Junction City Prison Farm outside of Junction City, Ohio, as well as nearby New Lexington and Fairfield County Fairgrounds in Lancaster. GRADE: B-

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)

A Review by John Chard

Corruption and Murder told with cathartic style. It's odd that whenever talk of Prison base films crops up you rarely see Brubaker mentioned as a viable piece of work, which to me personally is a damn shame because it's origin source pro...