Dean R. Brooks Movies
- 1980
Quincy (Jack Klugman) and Sam (Robert Ito) arrive at a maximum-security prison to investigate the death of a rabble-rousing inmate. No sooner have the two examiners arrived than the prisoners stage a revolt and take them hostage. Claiming that the dead man was killed by a sadistic guard, the rioting prisoners are prepared to kill their hostages unless the guard is turned over to them. With several lives at stake, Quincy and Sam use their forensic skills to determine the truth--even if some of the prisoners can't handle the truth. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
- PG
President Richard Nixon's legal counsellor Charles Colson was tried for several criminal charges relating to the Watergate cover-up, eventually spending some time in prison. This film explores Colson's personal crisis, and the religious convictions which, crossing party boundaries, worked to bring about his conversion from being a cynical politician to becoming a committed Christian. Far from being corrupted in prison, Colson (Dean Jones) became a missionary for his beliefs and worked to reform many of the 'hard cases" he encountered there. After the period covered by the film, it is worthwhile to note that Colson chose a new career for himself following his release from prison -- prison missionary. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dean Jones, Anne Francis, (more)
- 1975
- R
- Add One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to QueueAdd One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to top of Queue
With an insane asylum standing in for everyday society, Milos Forman's 1975 film adaptation of Ken Kesey's novel is a comically sharp indictment of the Establishment urge to conform. Playing crazy to avoid prison work detail, manic free spirit Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is sent to the state mental hospital for evaluation. There he encounters a motley crew of mostly voluntary inmates, including cowed mama's boy Billy (Brad Dourif) and silent Native American Chief Bromden (Will Sampson), presided over by the icy Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). Ratched and McMurphy recognize that each is the other's worst enemy: an authority figure who equates sanity with correct behavior, and a misfit who is charismatic enough to dismantle the system simply by living as he pleases. McMurphy proceeds to instigate group insurrections large and small, ranging from a restorative basketball game to an unfettered afternoon boat trip and a tragic after-hours party with hookers and booze. Nurse Ratched, however, has the machinery of power on her side to ensure that McMurphy will not defeat her. Still, McMurphy's message to live free or die is ultimately not lost on one inmate, revealing that escape is still possible even from the most oppressive conditions. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, (more)
