Brubaker

Day 232 - 8/20/09 - Movie #228

BEFORE: For the first time in months, the number of movies on my list is getting close to 400 - I think it dipped down to about 375 at one point, but then I discovered the $5.99 DVD store - and then Time Warner Cable started offering Movies on Demand for $1.99 - so even though I crossed off a movie per day, the list kept growing faster than that. Today's trip to the DVD store yielded only 1 film that I haven't seen, so I think I've capped the growth of the list for now.

Tonight's cellmate is Robert Redford. Well, I guess if I gotta be somebody's prison bitch, at least he's hunky and has great hair...

THE PLOT: The new warden of a small prison farm in Arkansas tries to clean it up of corruption after initially posing as an inmate.

AFTER: This is another study about how a prison works (or fails to) as Redford goes undercover as a prisoner, and witnesses torture, corruption, and horrible conditions. Like in last night's movie, the prisoners who have been there the longest seem to be running the joint - as "trustees" they seem to have as much power as the guards, even access to guns while on work detail. I'm not sure this is such a great system.

Redford sets up reforms like a prison inmate council, then goes digging around - literally - to find out how deep the corruption and conspiracies run. Unfortunately so many factions want to prevent this that we, the viewers, never really get the whole story. Something about slave labor, cans of chili, cornfields, and dead bodies, but I was never able to get a handle on the big picture.

Once again, character actors abound, including Yaphet Kotto, David Keith, and M. Emmet Walsh. Morgan Freeman has a small but memorable role as an inmate (years before "Shawshank Redemption") and it took me a while to recognize Everett McGill - aka "Big Ed" from "Twin Peaks".

I'm still waiting for a prison movie to really impress me - maybe I should add "Cool Hand Luke" to my want list.

RATING: 5 out of 10 lunch trays