Film Review
This is where Jules Dassin's career began proper. After five
years with MGM, making such totally forgettable fare as
Reunion in France (1942) and
Young
Ideas (1943), Dassin had the good fortune to be hired by
producer Mark Hellinger to direct what would be the first in a
series of superlative film noir thriller-dramas. The contrast
with Dassin's previous film, a muddled comedy thriller entitled
Two Smart People (1946), could
not be greater. An uncompromising prison drama with stunning
production values and a stellar cast,
Brute
Force is the film that established Dassin as one of the most
respected filmmakers in Hollywood, whilst helping to usher in a new era
of hard-edged realism in American cinema.
Brute Force was also an
important milestone in the career of its star, Burt Lancaster.
The 33 year-old-actor had appeared in just one film prior to this,
Robert Siodmak's film noir classic
The
Killers (1946) (another Mark Hellinger production) and
already looked set to become a major presence in Hollywood.
Blessed with a physique and personality that combined the old cowboy
machismo with a subtle romantic charm, Lancaster was perfectly suited
for his early film noir roles.
Brute
Force was virtually a dry run for the actor's subsequent film
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), in
which he played another taciturn prison detainee bent on rebellion,
albeit one who applies his refractory nature to more positive ends.
Dassin followed
Brute Force
with two equally damning studies of contemporary American society -
The Naked City (1948) and
Thieves' Highway
(1949). Together, these three films provide a sobering
portrait of a country that is far from being at ease with itself in the aftermath
of WWII. Fascism overseas had been defeated, but meanwhile
trouble had sprung up closer to home. New fears were emerging, in
response to the threat posed by an emerging Communist
superpower. Dassin himself fell foul of the mounting anti-Red
paranoia and would become an exile in Europe when fellow filmmaker
Edward Dmytryk denounced him as a Communist sympathiser. These
were troubled times for America, and Dassin conveys this growing
political and social turmoil with extraordinary lucidity in his films.
Brute Force and the two
following Dassin films represent an important step in the evolution of
film noir drama, from the stylised films that were made before and
during WWII to a far more realistic kind of film in the post-war
era. Often as not, these films had an important underlying
message that underpinned the drama.
Brute Force provides a forceful
case for reform of the prison system, arguing that if such reforms are
not forthcoming society will pay the price. The status quo
benefited only a handful of fascistic thugs who ran the prisons,
allowing them to sate their sadistic urges and fulfil the odd Napoleon
complex. (A cynic might argue that prisons exist not to reform
criminals but to provide an alternative career path for Wagner-loving
sociopaths who might otherwise end up running the country.)
Birdman of Alcatraz would
tread the same ground fifteen years later, when prison reform had
finally started to become a reality. There's some truth in the
old adage that brute force never solves anything.
© James Travers 2009
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Next Jules Dassin film:
The Naked City (1948)
Film Synopsis
The inmates of Westgate Prison, a United States penitentiary, are
growing increasingly fractious as the prison authorities gradually
erode their privileges and make life more unbearable. The
prisoners are treated worse than animals, systematically abused by the
guards and burdened with demeaning chores instead of being taught
useful skills. Only the prison doctor has the insight to see
where this will end, but he fails to convince the warden to put
rehabilitation before discipline. The unrest is fuelled by
Munsey, a sadistic guard captain, so that he can discredit the warden
and take his position. Incensed by the way he and his friends are
treated, prisoner Joe Collins decides to mount an escape. He
knows that men could die in the attempt but he considers this a risk
worth taking. A plan is devised, weapons and equipment are
acquired and a date set. What Collins does not realise is that he
is playing straight into Munsey's hands...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.