User Reviews

promising, but not good enough. 'brubaker' begins with an almost perfect introduction, managing to situate the viewer both in the space and among the characters, clearly establishing the tone and atmosphere of the story. while watching it, i couldn’t help but think of 'the shawshank redemption', even though the latter was released years later; the comparison arises almost inevitably due to the premise and prison atmosphere they share. robert redford delivers a remarkable performance, solid and convincing, carrying much of the film. the soundtrack, however, serves its purpose in supporting the narrative but is unlikely to be memorable for the audience. the plot is well-developed and written, showing a coherent and structured script, though despite its quality, it doesn’t quite engage with the intensity its premise could have promised. it is important to clarify that i enjoy slow-paced cinema, but in this case the story doesn’t quite help. unlike films like 'the godfather', which, despite being long and slow, maintain a tremendously interesting rhythm and plot, 'brubaker' can feel somewhat uneven in its development, causing interest to wane as it progresses. nevertheless, it combines strong performances and a solid narrative, even if it doesn’t reach the emotional or narrative impact that other films in the same genre have achieved. spanish: prometedora, pero no suficientemente buena. 'brubaker' comienza con una introducción casi perfecta, que logra situar al espectador tanto en el espacio como entre los personajes, estableciendo de manera clara la entonación y el ambiente de la historia. mientras la veía, no podía dejar de pensar en 'cadena perpetua', a pesar de que esta última se estrenara años después; la comparación surge casi inevitablemente por la premisa y la atmósfera carcelaria que comparten. robert redford ofrece un papel notable, una actuación sólida y convincente que sostiene gran parte de la película. la banda sonora, sin embargo, cumple su función de acompañar la narrativa, pero difícilmente quedará en la memoria del espectador. la trama está bien desarrollada y escrita, mostrando un guion coherente y estructurado, aunque a pesar de su calidad, no logra enganchar con la intensidad que su premisa podría haber prometido. es importante aclarar que disfruto del cine lento y pausado, pero en este caso la historia no termina de ayudar. a diferencia de películas como 'el padrino', que siendo largas y lentas mantienen un ritmo y una trama tremendamente interesantes, 'brubaker' puede resultar algo irregular en su desarrollo, haciendo que el interés disminuya a medida que avanza. aun así, combina buenas actuaciones y un relato sólido, aunque sin alcanzar la fuerza emocional o narrativa que otros títulos del mismo género han logrado.

A prison drama with a really strong Robert Redford that is sadly based on a real life scandal (fictionalized aka the Hollywood version but not hiding atrocities). If you are interested in this you should google “Joe Hyams / Tom Murton” and / or “Arkansas Prison Scandal”. It is set in 1969 and the main character Henry Brubacker was appointed as the new director of the Wakefield State Prison by the governor to reform it to fit the new laws / regulations. Because he wants to see what he is up for he disguises himself as inmate and gets into the prison. What he sees and experiences is far surpassing his worst expectations (and probably nightmares). It is his duty to change this inhumane, illegal and disgusting system. Of cause this made him a lot of enemies as many do not want to get the public's attentions to the serious misdeeds. It is to dangerous to the people in charge that want to cover it up. Sidenote to all that say undercover is exaggerated. People lie to higher ups / their bosses for various reasons. All employees have to learn what to say to their boss and what not or face consequences. As boss you never get the truth and you are mostly to blame for this yourself. Many companies create this atmosphere of euphemism, denial and hiding unpleasant truths. “Undercover Boss” is factual correct in this regard. Back to the review. It is a great story of a battle against the awful status quo and people in charge. There is the critique that you learn not much about the characters and it is theoretical valid but I think this was not necessary here or the point of the movie. The characters deliver a great performance and especially Robert Redford made an impressive performance. I think it is fair to praise the whole cast, writer W.D. Richter, director Stuart Rosenberg and team behind the screen. Another strong point are the location and sets. They used a closed real life prison in Junction City. This created an intense and believable atmosphere that I never doubted. Overall this was a surprise as I watched it because nothing else I liked was on TV. I did not regret it and it was a good experience. An 8/10 for me with a recommendation.

Change Comes Involuntarily. Brubaker Rosenberg's prison stay is exactly how it should go, an impenetrable fascism writhing against an unbiased force with of course a pinch of madness. This recipe has always worked, not for its procedure, but for the obvious tasty ingredients it is brimmed of. Yes, it overstays its welcome and feels a bit stretch over here and there, but there is a lot to look and ponder about. The meticulous gritty long sequences that it adapts to convey a messages out loud and clear is a double edge sword, since there is barely anything cinematic about it, it can be both unnerving and illuminating. The characters are stereotypical pawns as we usually see in such genre, a big bully, a corrupted cop and a rotten system run by bratty misleading leaders. But all of it can be forgiven by easily, since our protagonist is equally glorifying and worth rooting for. The whole "one man can change" theory bodes well in this narration, which the makers being aware of, makes sure that the protagonist bubbles up as the ultimate dream hero there ever was and should be. Portraying such a powerful character lies Redford's exceptional performance, where the annoyance and irritation of single minded people is expressed freely through him. In fairness, the elements of the storytelling too helps him, a few incident where the right and wrong scale is imbalanced and shucked out of the window, to makes you clench your jaw. What makes this experience jarring- and mind you not poignant, which is usually the case- is the buoyancy of the screenplay, it keeps throwing enough reasons back to makes you punch your way out of this. On that very note, Rosenberg triumphs on mapping down that emotion for us to visit blatantly on screen, Brubaker is the leader we want but we cannot get.