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Brute Force
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Brute Force

film by Dassin [1947]
Written by
Lee Pfeiffer
Author/co-author of numerous books about the cinema and is regarded as one of the foremost James Bond scholars. His book The Essential Bond: An Authorized Guide to the World of 007 (written with...
Lee Pfeiffer
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

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....

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