Brute Force

Joe Collins

Capt. Munsey

Gallagher

Gina Ferrara

Ruth

Flossie

Louie Miller #7033

'Freshman' Stack

Spencer

Kid Coy

Warden A.J. Barnes

Calypso

Muggsy

Hodges

McCollum

Ferrara

Crenshaw

Robert 'Soldier' Becker (as Howard Duff Radio's Sam Spade)

Dr. Walters

Tom Lister

Convict Foreman (uncredited)

Convict in Yard (uncredited)

Convict (uncredited)

Harry (uncredited)

Joe's Lawyer (uncredited)

Chappie - Guard (uncredited)

Bradley (uncredited)

Italian Father (uncredited)

Prisoner (uncredited)

Prisoner (uncredited)

Sadie (uncredited)

Guard (uncredited)

Chaplain (uncredited)

Prison Guard (uncredited)

Roberts (uncredited)

Chef (uncredited)

Convict in Chow Line

Shorty (uncredited)

Hearse Driver (uncredited)

Sergeant (uncredited)

Convict in Chow Line

Convict in Yard (uncredited)

Cell Check Guard (uncredited)

Young Inmate (uncredited)

Prisoner (uncredited)

Convict (uncredited)

Regan (uncredited)

Max (uncredited)

Convict in Chow Line

Andy (uncredited)

Guard (uncredited)

Convict (uncredited)

Prison Guard (uncredited)

Wilson (uncredited)

Young Girl (uncredited)

Bronski (uncredited)

Convict (uncredited)

Convict in Yard (uncredited)

Strella (uncredited)

Convict Son (uncredited)

Prison Guard (uncredited)

Peary (uncredited)

Hoffman (uncredited)

Guard (uncredited)

Ms. Lawrence (uncredited)

Tom (uncredited)

Tompkins (uncredited)

Jackson (uncredited)

Visitor (uncredited)

Guard in Machine Shop (uncredited)

Guard (uncredited)

Convict (uncredited)

Armed Guard in Drainpipe (uncredited)

Tyrone (uncredited)

Guard in Machine Shop (uncredited)

Former Warner Bros. producer Mark Hellinger, who had started his own independent production unit at Universal-International, wanted Wayne Morris to star in his first picture, The Killers (1946). Warners wouldn't loan Morris out, so Hellinger cast Burt Lancaster, who had made his motion picture debut in "The Killers".

This caused quite a stir in 1947, shocking audiences with its levels of violence.

When the Group Theater (1931-1940)--the first American acting company to attempt to put the Russian Konstantin Stanislavski's principles into action--disbanded, many of the actors who had participated in its revolutionary realistic productions on Broadway ("Awake and Sing" "Waiting for Lefty") made their way to Hollywood in search of work. Two of them--Roman Bohnen ("Warden") and Art Smith ("Dr. Walters")can be seen in this film. As several of the actors in The Group were members of the Communist Party or leftist organizations, they would soon be blacklisted during the "Red Scare" era of Sen. Joseph McCarthy's search for "subversives" in the entertainment industry, one of whom was the director of this film, Jules Dassin. A year before this film was released, Kazan--who had appeared before the McCarthyite House Unamerican Activities Committee and "named names", happened to be in Hollywood and saw a production of one of Tennessee Williams's early plays, "Portrait of a Madonna" directed by Hume Cronyn--who plays the sadistic Capt. Munsey in this film. Kazan was so impressed by the work of Cronyn's wife, Jessica Tandy, that he offered her the role of Blanche Dubois in his Broadway production of "A Streetcar Named Desire."

The character Soldier is in prison after taking the blame for a murder that took place when he was serving in Italy with the U.S. Army. Therefore, he would not have been in a civilian state prison. He would have been sent to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, as he would have been court-martialed while still being a member of the U.S. Army. At the very least, he would have been sent to a federal prison if he'd somehow (highly unlikely) been able to get sent to a civilian facility.

During a scene in the cell, Jeff Corey's character is washing his hair. His hair alternates between lathered and not lathered.

When discussing the hill attack during the war, the positions of the convicts change between the shots from outside the cell to the ones inside.

Joe Collins: [Trying to convince Gallagher that escape from the prison is possible, in spite of the fact that they both realize that in the past, somewhat misguided inmates have attempted to do so] Look, Gallagher, I know this drum's full of crackpots. One convict's gonna' buy his way out, another knows the governor's cousin. A third guy's even gonna' float out in a homemade balloon. But I'm not buyin' any pipe dreams. It can be done. It's been done before, and it'll be done again. It can be done here... by us.

Calypso: [Scene in Dr. Walters office: Dr. Walters is getting ready to go to an important meeting at the Warden's office] Sounds like a very important meeting you're going to this morning, Doc.

Gina Ferrara: Bringing us food this way is against the law.