Search - Brubaker on DVD

Brenton M. from LAS CRUCES, NM
Reviewed on 9/15/2009...

Anybody who is a Criminal Justice major (undergraduate or graduate) should get this flick...At some point in there schooling instructors will want you to watch it, and it is not an easy one to come by...

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

A real story, like Walking Tall

Maharba | Albuquerque, NM USA | 04/16/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Of course, I'm biased. "Brubaker" is a fictionalized account of the real story of Tom Murton, warden of Tucker & Cummins prison, in Arkansas, in 1967-68. Tom Murton was my dad & I lived on both those prisons as a 5th grader, before we were unceremoniously kicked out of Bill Clintons state. Most of the movie's events really happened, including the electric torture--called the Tucker Telephone--the whip, the horrid food, the inmate trustees carrying guns, painting death row, & digging up some of the 200 unmarked graves, most of which remain unmarked on Tucker farm. Fictional events include the female prison board member, the black old inmate dying--his name was Reuben Gaines & he got out of prison. My dad assuredly did NOT infiltrate the prison as an inmate, but the scene w/ the old warden barricading himself in his office w/ a Thompson submachine gun was true. Like Redford's character, my dad was not PC & probably unecessarily antagonized both the corrections board, & the governor. But who could really agree to cover up 200 murdered inmates? Governor Winthrop Rockefeller fired my dad, even as the Arkansas legislature was moving to indict him for grave-robbing. We had 24 hrs to exit Arkansas. My dad went on to be a tenured professor of Criminology at the Univ. of MN, Minneapolis & passed away in 1990. The book about all this is "Accomplices to the Crime" by Tom Murton & Joe Hyams, Grove Press. Long since out of print, but available over the internet from rare booksellers for a reasonable price. My verdict on the movie: considering that it's primary purpose was to make money, it's a lot more factual than it could have been."

Not your average prison movie....

Kyle Tolle | Phoenix, Arizona USA | 03/17/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Brubaker is based on a true story and tells of the events of one man's attempts to reform a prison system mired in corruption, brutality, and a lack of order to any general degree.Henry Brubaker, as stated in the movie, gained his past experience in corrections working in military prison systems. Brubaker hatches the ingenious plan to insert himself into the prison population at Wakefield Penitentiary as an inmate to experience first hand all the problems inside the facility. What he uncovers is nothing less than barbaric punishment methods, no structured management of inmates, lack of medical care, and the penitentiary itself in advance stages of disrepair.Henry Brubaker, after revealing his status as the new warden and assuming his duties, goes on to discover that there are no state hired corrections officers on the staff. Inmate trustees, armed with weapons, are given the responsibility of manning watch towers, supervising work crews, and keeping the peace inside of the prison. Furthermore, prisoners are farmed out to local businessmen in the community for work with no pay which amounts to slave labor. Upon deeper investigation into all the activities in and around the prison, Brubaker discovers other illegal activities including theft of prison food supplies and equipment, inmates being charged fees for almost non-existent medical care, and the revelation that there are prisoners buried on the prison property that were the victims of murder by fellow inmates.Brubaker confronts the state prison board with these problems only to find out that the prison board is not only aware of these incidents, they think the system should reamin unchanged because it has always been this way and should remain so. You can sense their unhappiness with Brubaker as the new warden who wants to come in and upset their system rather than tow the line.Henry Brubaker is portrayed as a man of honesty, integrity, and professionalism and in defying the prison board's message to leave well enough alone, he launches his own campaign to reform the prison and correct the wrongs he has inherited as the new warden. Unfortunately, with the power of the prison board and the governor of the state against him, he is eventually removed as the warden and fired.In the final outcome, many inmates saw the necessity of the changes attempted by Brubaker and were dismayed at seeing him removed and the new warden not making proper progress to reform the prison. This prompted many inmates to file lawsuits against the state for inhumane prison conditions resulting in the governor not being re-elected the following year.This movie is a fine drama with a very good plot, great acting, and poignant conclusion. I highly recommend this movie to everyone."

A film based on historical facts.

Harborguy | Concord, NC USA | 07/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brubaker, the movie, never mentions the fact that it is based on the book, "Accomplices To The Crime", by Tom Murton and Joe Hyams. It also doesn't mention that the movie is based on actual events that took place in Arkansas in the 60's at the Tucker State Prison Farm. Author Tom Murton, now deceased, was, in fact, "Brubaker."Professor Tom Murton, Criminologist Tom Murton, was hired by the then Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, brother to Vice-President Nelson Rockefeller, to come to Arkansas to "clean up" the prison system. Nelson Rockefeller lost the nomination as the Republican Presidential candidate largely due to his role in the September, 1971 Attica, NY prison riot that cost both NYS Dept of Corrections employees' lives and lives of inmates. Law suits for that event were recently settled in the millions of dollars payable to inmate victim survivors and the families of inmate victims. Tom Murton was fired from his job in Arkansas, and Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller was not re-elected. Both Rockefellers largely ended their political careers by mis-handling their prisons. Some sort of legal agreement was reached between the movie maker and the State of Arkansas to not mention this historical connection."