Anita Colby, Ann Blyth, Burt Lancaster

In this intense prison drama, Burt Lancaster plays Joe Collins, the toughest inmate on the cell block, and Hume Cronyn is Capt. Munsey, a corrupt prison guard whose ruthless nature has made him the ba...( read more  read more... )ne of Collins's existence. After one infraction too many, Munsey assigns Collins and his fellow prisoners to the dreaded drain pipe detail. With the support of his cellmates, Collins hatches an escape plan that could cost him his life.

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87% liked it

852 ratings

Critics

91% liked it

11 critics

G, 103 min.

Directed by: Jules Dassin

Release Date: January 1, 1947

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DVD Release Date: April 17, 2007

Stats: 110 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (110)


  • June 6, 2009
    The last line of "Brute Force", a prison escape noir, is "nobody ever escapes". Perhaps director Jules Dassin is using the prison as a microcosm of society under a fascist rule - Captain Munsey (Hume Cronyn) is certainly a manipulative, violent, and power-hungry wretch with an un...( read more)rivaled control over a group of the enslaved prisoners. Or, perhaps the best way to see it is on a smaller scale. None of the prisoners we meet are bad people - most of them, as we see in flashbacks, ended up in jail because of their unrequited love for a woman. In the United States, we hear that our prisons are packed more thoroughly than any in the world. The film represents a system where even the most loyal men can end up in the prison system which is vile, torturous, and corrupt. A system in which, more importantly, change and rehabilitation is an impossibility. Why "Brute Force" works, however, is because it's equally effective on a completely superficial level, free of metaphor and allegory. It's dialogue is sharp, it's black and white cinematography is stunning, and it has one of the most spectacular climaxes of any movie to come out of the 1940's.

    Joe Collins (Burt Lancaster) has just been released from solitary confinement and returns to his friends in cell R17. His punishment was a fluke, due to Captain Munsey ordering an informant, Wilson (James O'Rear), to place a shiv on Collins. Wilson is then killed by prisoners who learn of his associations. When Collins learns that his wife is ill and refuses surgery until she can be with him, he plans an escape to free himself from the tyrannical rule of Munsey. He recruits his cellmates, who each are in love with a woman on the outside, and decides that the escape must take place the following day. Waiting any longer would risk an information leak, and the last thing Collins wants is for Munsey to expect an escape attempt.

    Cell R17 has an image of a woman on the wall, and to each of the men it represents their love interest. We see, through flashback, how several of the prisoners came to be captured - one, for instance, brought home a expensive fur coat for his wife to rekindle passion in the relationship. These flashbacks, although being highly entertaining short melodramatic films, are very much unneeded. The claustrophobia of the prison cell is disrupted by such diversions, and the prisoner's intentions could've easily been elaborated upon through the film's sharp dialogue.

    Perhaps the best thing about the film is Hume Cronyn's performance. He's an archetypal baddie, however Cronyn is so perfectly cast that his Captain Munsey is as despicable as any villain in film history. He doesn't look particularly intimidating, however through his speeches and one extraordinarily effective torture scene he becomes a legitimately terrifying figure.
  • October 3, 2008
    gritty drama about a prison break. burt lancaster is outstanding in only his second film after a great debut in the killers and hume cronyn plays against type as a sadistic guard. there's some sappy melodrama in the flashback scenes but overall pretty damn good
  • September 2, 2008
    I love Dassin, but I just wasn't crazy about this one. Lancaster is great and the choice of angles is superb as well.
  • June 5, 2007
    Here's a nice prison film for you, with Burt Lancast as the tough con and Hume Cronyn as the tougher sadistic guard who watches over him, a war of wills encased in a prison!. . ..
  • May 18, 2007
    Brute Force is like a film noir version of Shawshank Redemption, except not quite as good despite its influence. The characters for the most part are pretty good (even if they're not entirely convincing) and under Dassin's direction it looks beautifully gritty. The character of C...( read more)alypso was as annoying as Hume Cronyn was a weasely and rotten little shit while Burt Lancaster plays Collins almost effortlessly. The back stories involving "The Women On the Outside" seemed for the most part unnecessary, but the last ten minutes are brutal and so completely worth it.
  • November 15, 2009
    wow umn just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch......its got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie.....i think that yvonne de carlo, charles bickford, ella raines, hume cronyn, burt lancaster, ann blyth, anita colby play good...( read more) roles/parts thorughout this movie....i think that the director of this black & white/drama/violent/thriller movie had done a good job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie....i think that this is a really powerful drama movie 2 watch its got a great cast throughout this movie....i think that this is a powerful drama movie 2 watch with a good cast throughout this movie n its a great movie 2 watch
  • July 1, 2009
    If you know you're in for real thick melodrama from the opening credits to the closing lines and you still go for it, then you're in for a perfectly constructed, gorgeously shot noir.
  • February 6, 2009
    What saves this movie from being a typical prison flick is its good ending although it would have been better without those crappy last lines said by the doctor
  • January 30, 2009
    Without a shadow of a doubt, Brute Force is a classic movie that still stands today, as a powerful piece of film-making. Everything about this movie is top notch - the acting, the direction, the cinematography, the pacing are all essential ingredients in this superb film. Althoug...( read more)h there's not a weak link in the entire film, special mention must go to Burt Lancaster, Art Smith, John Hoyt, Charles Bickford, Sam Levene, and Hume Cronyn as the evil & sadistic Munsey. The deft touch of Jules Dassin is there for all to see, and the film builds to a tremendous climax. In 1947 this must have been an extremely powerful and hard-hitting film, and it remains so to this day. For anyone who appreciates movie-making at its best, this is hard to beat.
  • December 2, 2008
    Hume Cronyn and Burt Lancaster save Jules Dassin's Brute Force which is filled with unnecessary flashbacks and isn't really appealing enough for a film noir.

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Brute Force Trivia


  • Who starred in all three of the following films; 'Judgement At Nuremberg', 'Elmer Gantry' and 'Brute Force'?  Answer »
  • In "Brute Force" (1947 - Jules Dassin), Burt Lancaster's character is   Answer »
  • What Movie is this Plot Line from? This movie is about a guard's sadistic action's leading to an explosive confrontation.   Answer »

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