Brute Force
film by Dassin [1947]
Brute Force, American film noir, released in 1947, that presents a grim portrayal of prison life, highlighted by a memorable war of wills between a convict and a sadistic guard. The setting of Brute Force is Westgate Penitentiary, where the brutal Capt. Munsey (played by Hume Cronyn) uses torture as a method of discipline. Some of the inmates on his cell block—whose lives and crimes are revealed through a series of flashbacks—eventually decide to escape. The group is lead by Joe Collins (Burt Lancaster), who is in prison after having robbed a bank to pay for an operation for his ...(100 of 172 words)