It’s great to want to make changes but sometimes you need to see just what’s needed before you start making those costly decisions. Brubaker is the story of a warden that poses as an inmate to see firsthand the corruption and ongoing problems with his prison that need to be corrected. Upon seeing what’s really going on he becomes dedicated towards fixing the problems and making his prison a much more respectable place. However those that are benefiting from the corruption attempt to stymie his every effort as he tries to make some headway in running a respectable institution. The fight to create a stable prison is something that Brubaker didn’t expect, and as he leans into the fight he begins to understand just what it’s going to take to make a change.
This would be a risky move for any warden to be honest.
10. This film was based on real life events.
Thomas O. Murton was a former prisoner administrator that had sought to do what Brubaker was doing and served as an adviser for the film.
9. Nicolas Cage and Morgan Freeman make appearances in the film.
This was Cage’s first role as an extra and Freeman’s first credited role. Both men have since been in other prison movies.
8. Over 6,000 extras applied to be part of this movie.
There were a lot of people that wanted in on this movie, though the director eventually tried to get those that had actually been a part of the prison system.
7. The prison used in the film had been decommissioned earlier.
The prison that was used actually had a history of riot and rebellion that made the scene a little more alluring.
6. The shooting time for this film went a little over schedule.
Robert Redford had to eventually split his time between finishing this film and making his directorial debut on the set of Ordinary People.
5. Robert Redford was offered $3 million dollars to play this role.
Likely as not he was the only one, or one of the few, that was offered such an amount.
4. Redford stayed away from the big screen for 4 years after this.
He wouldn’t return until his role in The Natural. Some actors tend to be very selective about the roles they take and some just like to take time off and bask in the afterglow of their works.
3. This was the first prison movie that Redford was in.
It wouldn’t be the last as he was featured in The Last Castle opposite James Gandolfini, playing as a 4-star general that was sent to a military prison where the conditions were about as bad as they were in Brubaker.
2. The director wanted to use ex-cons.
It might have seemed a bit wacky to think about but as it was revealed ex-cons have a way of moving, talking, and reacting to people that was far more genuine.
1. The part about the warden posing as a convict was not true to life.
That part was fictionalized. Just imagine if the inmates ever found out that one of their fellow prisoners was the man responsible for the way they were being handled.
As prison movies go Brubaker was probably one of the better ones.
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