Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: June 20, 1980
7.3
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
6
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Review this movie
VOTE NOW
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Check box if your review contains spoilers 0 characters (5000 max)
8
Kai82Aug 9, 2022
A prison drama with a really strong Robert Redford that is sadly based on a real life scandal (fictionalized aka the Hollywood version but not hiding atrocities). If you are interested in this you should google “Joe Hyams / Tom Murton” and /A prison drama with a really strong Robert Redford that is sadly based on a real life scandal (fictionalized aka the Hollywood version but not hiding atrocities). If you are interested in this you should google “Joe Hyams / Tom Murton” and / or “Arkansas Prison Scandal”. It is set in 1969 and the main character Henry Brubacker was appointed as the new director of the Wakefield State Prison by the governor to reform it to fit the new laws / regulations. Because he wants to see what he is up for he disguises himself as inmate and gets into the prison. What he sees and experiences is far surpassing his worst expectations (and probably nightmares). It is his duty to change this inhumane, illegal and disgusting system. Of cause this made him a lot of enemies as many do not want to get the public's attentions to the serious misdeeds. It is to dangerous to the people in charge that want to cover it up. Sidenote to all that say undercover is exaggerated. People lie to higher ups / their bosses for various reasons. All employees have to learn what to say to their boss and what not or face consequences. As boss you never get the truth and you are mostly to blame for this yourself. Many companies create this atmosphere of euphemism, denial and hiding unpleasant truths. “Undercover Boss” is factual correct in this regard. Back to the review. It is a great story of a battle against the awful status quo and people in charge. There is the critique that you learn not much about the characters and it is theoretical valid but I think this was not necessary here or the point of the movie. The characters deliver a great performance and especially Robert Redford made an impressive performance. I think it is fair to praise the whole cast, writer W.D. Richter, director Stuart Rosenberg and team behind the screen. Another strong point are the location and sets. They used a closed real life prison in Junction City. This created an intense and believable atmosphere that I never doubted. Overall this was a surprise as I watched it because nothing else I liked was on TV. I did not regret it and it was a good experience. An 8/10 for me with a recommendation. Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews