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Information

Year
1947
Runtime
98 min.
Director
Jules Dassin
Genres
Crime, Drama, Thriller, Film-Noir
Rating *
7.6
Votes *
5,903
Checks
1,974
Favs
160
Dislikes
6
Favs/checks
8.1% (1:12)
Favs/dislikes
27:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. ClassicLady's avatar

    ClassicLady

    This must have seemed savagely brutal when it was first made. Even watching it now, I kept gasping. Whether it showed typical prison brutality of the day or the occasional deranged officer is beside the point. That kind of brutality should never happen. Great movie. 10 years 10 months ago
  2. ChrisReynolds's avatar

    ChrisReynolds

    Brilliant movie and one of my favourite film noirs. The witty script acts as a great counterpoint to the relentless darkness of the story, and the film makes a strong commentary on the use of futility of brute force whether used as a means of imprisonment or escape. 11 years 6 months ago
  3. Siskoid's avatar

    Siskoid

    Brute Force is a prison drama that opposes the will of two men. Burt Lancaster is a sympathetic convict who plans an escape for unselfish reasons, and Hume Cronyn is the manipulative and sadistic captain of the guard who means to stop him and get himself minted as new warden. Lancaster is of course equal to the task, but it's Cronyn who's the real revelation here, coming off as creepy and dangerous despite the fact that physically, he could have played Whit Bissell's part (a timid accountant who convicted of embezzlement). Though prison life is hard, and the convicts aren't above killing one another in there, the movie paints an unusually sympathetic portrait of the inmates. Almost everyone on the side of things has a backstory that excuses or softens their conviction (it's unfortunate that Lancaster's is so melodramatic and sappy), or else is a force for social good in the prison environment. Not that anyone but Cronyn (and the unreasonable Governor's office) is a villain, the other prison personnel don't have his harsh vision and make a case for more positive correctional methods. Ultimately, I don't think the movie pardons anyone for past crimes even if it glosses over them for the sake of the drama, so when it counts, it refuses to compromise. 4 years 2 months ago
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  1. arsis checked this movie 1 day 13 hours ago
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In 6 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #31 in TSPDT's 100 Essential Noir Films
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    TSPDT's 100 Essential No…

    31
  2. This movie ranks #31 in TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films

    31
  3. This movie ranks #44 in IMDb's Film-Noir Top 50
    IMDb's Film-Noir Top 50's icon

    IMDb's Film-Noir Top 50

    44
  4. This movie ranks #77 in iCheckMovies's 1940s Top 100
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    iCheckMovies's 1940s Top…

    77
  5. This movie ranks #425 in The Criterion Collection
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    The Criterion Collection

    425
  6. This movie ranks #782 in Doubling the Canon
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    Doubling the Canon

    782
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