BRUTE FORCE has everything a prison movie needs: a warden under pressure from politicians, a sadistic guard who's the power behind the throne, and a wonderful selection of prisoners led by a young Burt Lancaster.
Burt's roommates (how did they all cram into that little cell?) include newbie Whit Bissell (who has a very emotional scene), first-timer Howard Duff (making the transition from radio), an intense John Hoyt, and lovable mug Jack Overman (whose all too short career included a fine small role in the noir FORCE OF EVIL). The convicts mean business; those who rat on others at guard Hume Cronyn's instigation find themselves getting intimate with dangerous machinery. Cronyn wants more crackdowns; the warden fears a total crackup. And of course, someone's planning an escape. The final scenes of this film were quite brutal for the time and still pack a punch.
A strange script device is the use of a pin-up calendar in the cell as a catalyst for four convicts to relate the stories of their incarceration. These flashbacks help to provide background on some of the main characters (and provide for the appearance of some female faces), but become formulaic and slow down the main escape plot. Scriptwriter Richard Brooks also wrote the screenplay for Lancaster's ELMER GANTRY and became a celebrated director as well. All in all, an exciting film with a few digressions.
Burt's roommates (how did they all cram into that little cell?) include newbie Whit Bissell (who has a very emotional scene), first-timer Howard Duff (making the transition from radio), an intense John Hoyt, and lovable mug Jack Overman (whose all too short career included a fine small role in the noir FORCE OF EVIL). The convicts mean business; those who rat on others at guard Hume Cronyn's instigation find themselves getting intimate with dangerous machinery. Cronyn wants more crackdowns; the warden fears a total crackup. And of course, someone's planning an escape. The final scenes of this film were quite brutal for the time and still pack a punch.
A strange script device is the use of a pin-up calendar in the cell as a catalyst for four convicts to relate the stories of their incarceration. These flashbacks help to provide background on some of the main characters (and provide for the appearance of some female faces), but become formulaic and slow down the main escape plot. Scriptwriter Richard Brooks also wrote the screenplay for Lancaster's ELMER GANTRY and became a celebrated director as well. All in all, an exciting film with a few digressions.