Click here to visit our new site --> CafeDVD 2.0 Brute Force: The Criterion Collection (1947) Rating: Starring: Ann Blyth, Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn Director: Jules Dassin Category: Drama, Suspense / Thriller Studio: Criterion Subtitles: English Length: 98 mins     As hard-hitting as its title, Brute Force was the first of Jules Dassin's forays into the crime genre, a prison melodrama that takes a critical look at American society as well. Burt Lancaster is the timeworn Joe Collins, who, along with his fellow inmates, lives under the heavy thumb of the sadistic, power-tripping guard Captain Munsey (a riveting Hume Cronyn). Only Collins's dreams of escape keep him going, but how can he possibly bust out of Munsey's chains? Matter-of-fact and ferocious, Brute Force builds to an explosive climax that shows that man's desperation for freedom knows no bounds.