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Brute Force

"Power Packed Picture!"

1947-07-16 Crime 1hr 38m

Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains?

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Storyline

Timeworn Joe Collins and his fellow inmates live under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey. Only Collins' dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains?

  • Released
    1947-07-16
  • Revenue
    n/a
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 38m
  • Genre
    Crime, Drama, Thriller
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    7.5
  • Production
    Mark Hellinger Productions, Universal Pictures

Crew

Jules Dassin
Director
Richard Brooks
Screenplay
Mark Hellinger
Producer
Keywords:
prison cell prison guard film noir prison riot

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Cast

Burt Lancaster

Burt Lancaster
Joe Collins
Hume Cronyn

Hume Cronyn
Capt. Munsey
Charles Bickford

Charles Bickford
Gallagher
Yvonne De Carlo

Yvonne De Carlo
Gina Ferrara
Ann Blyth

Ann Blyth
Ruth
Ella Raines

Ella Raines
Cora Lister
Anita Colby

Anita Colby
Flossie
Sam Levene

Sam Levene
Louie Miller #7033
Jeff Corey

Jeff Corey
'Freshman' Stack
John Hoyt

John Hoyt
Spencer
Jack Overman

Jack Overman
Kid Coy
Roman Bohnen

Roman Bohnen
Warden A.J. Barnes
Sir Lancelot

Sir Lancelot
Calypso
Vince Barnett

Vince Barnett
Muggsy
Jay C. Flippen

Jay C. Flippen
Hodges (guard)
Richard Gaines

Richard Gaines
McCollum
Frank Puglia

Frank Puglia
Ferrara
James Bell

James Bell
Crenshaw
Howard Duff

Howard Duff
Robert 'Soldier' Becker
Art Smith

Art Smith
Dr. Walters
Whit Bissell

Whit Bissell
Tom Lister
James O'Rear

James O'Rear
Wilson
Paul Bryar

Paul Bryar
Harry (uncredited)
Gino Corrado

Gino Corrado
Italian Father Visiting Prison (uncredited)
Al Ferguson

Al Ferguson
Guard (uncredited)
Jack Gordon

Jack Gordon
Convict (uncredited)
John Harmon

John Harmon
Roberts (uncredited)
Herbert Heywood

Herbert Heywood
Chef (uncredited)
Tom Steele

Tom Steele
Tom - Tower Guard (uncredited)
Ray Teal

Ray Teal
Jackson - Guard (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel

Dale Van Sickel
Guard in Machine Shop (uncredited)
Rudy Germane

Rudy Germane
Convict (uncredited)

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Movie Reviews

Reviews for Brute Force
reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 9

Written by John Chard on 2015-05-30

Prison Noir! This is Westgate Penitentiary, the Warden is a weak man, the prison is practically run by the cruel and highly ambitious Cap... read more

Prison Noir! This is Westgate Penitentiary, the Warden is a weak man, the prison is practically run by the cruel and highly ambitious Captain Munsey. But the prisoners are no walk overs, they deal their own justice to those that don't tow the line, tired and fed up of mistreatment, and fuelled by the Munsey influenced suicide of a popular inmate, the prisoners, led by big Joe Collins, plot a break out, the fear of failure not even an option. Brute Force is a cracking moody picture directed with innovation by Jules Dassin and starring Burt Lancaster (brilliant as Joe Collins), Hume Cronyn (Munsey), Charles Bickford (Gallagher) and lady support (shown in excellent flashbacks) from Yvonne De Carlo, Ann Blyth, Ella Raines and Anita Colby. We open in the pouring rain at the monolithic gates of Westgate Penitentiary, Dassin's camera looking up at the gate like some foreboding warning, William Daniels black and white photography is stark and making its point, all this as Miklos Rozsa's score thunders in our ears, it's clear that this is going to be a mean and moody prison picture. So it proves to be, sure all the formula traits that lace most prison films are in here, but Dassin and his team have managed to harness an oppressive feel to put us the viewer within the walls of Westgate as well. This is a bleak place, there are six men to a prison cell, their only chance of staying sane is memories of loved ones and a unified spirit to not be put upon by the vile Munsey, we are privy to everything, we ourselves are part of the furniture. Brute Force thankfully doesn't disappoint with its ending, the tension has been built up perfectly, the mood is set, so when the ending comes it's explosive and a truly fitting finale to what has been a first rate prison drama. 9/10

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

Prison Noir! This is Westgate Penitentiary, the Warden is a weak man, the prison is practically run by the cruel and highly ambitious Captain Munsey. But the prisoners are no walk overs, they deal their own justice to those that don't to...

reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 9

Written by John Chard on 2015-05-30

Prison Noir! This is Westgate Penitentiary, the Warden is a weak man, the prison is practically run by the cruel and highly ambitious Captain Munsey. But the prisoners are no walk overs, they deal ...

read more