Rather cold adaptation of Joe Hyams' book has Robert Redford appearing to play a convict housed at a rough prison work farm for men, but he's really the new warden getting to know his prisoners first hand. Rabble-rouser is an odd choice for Redford, this genre having peaked in the late 1960s with "Cool Hand Luke". The supporting cast is strong, particularly Yaphet Kotto and, in the film's strongest sequence, a young Morgan Freeman, yet the twist in the plot doesn't strengthen an otherwise well-worn formula. Troubles with the film's pacing and continuity can be traced to the problematic direction, and Redford's star-power can only take it so far. ** from ****
Review of Brubaker
