Brute Force

AroView: Surprisingly visceral and violent for its time, this prison drama from skilled director Jules Dassin (Rififi) sees Burt Lancaster play a tough inmate in Westgate Penitentiary who decides to wage war against the sadistic wardens.

If you can ignore the pervasive misogynistic undertones - all the women are paper-thin catalysts for the men’s shortcomings - the bleak, unwavering depiction of imprisonment under corrupt rule packs a weighty emotional punch, all the way to the savage climax.