Brubaker Page #3

Look, I needs a supervisor's

desk job like you.

Anyway, you's overworked.

Hey, man, it ain't up to me alone.

- Purcell, can I see you a minute?

- Yeah, sure.

Oh, I gotta-

I love what you did

with old John Deach out there.

A lot of people gonna get

a kick out of that.

- The day that-

- Who was that lady out there, by the way?

The day that I came in on the bus,

trusties put a man on. Gunshot wound.

Mm-hmm.

Is he okay?

- What do you mean?

- I mean how is he?

Is he okay? Is he back in the barracks?

Is he a security risk? I mean, how is he?

Well, I imagine we shipped him

on off to the county hospital, don't you?

Find out.

And could you get me

a dozen pair of sunglasses, please?

All right.

You want them polarized or tinted?

You want the kind that have the mirrors?

People can't see in,

makes them nervous as hell.

Just the regular glasses.

You got them.

- Look, captain-

- Don't call me captain.

Mr. Brubaker, I know you're

probably getting ready...

...to make some new job assignments

around here.

You'll probably even name

your own warden's clerk.

Well, if you got a minute, I'd like to take

a shot at making a case for myself.

Hey, I know I'm not the smartest guy

in the world...

...but I do know this job.

And I know this damn place better

than any man here. And that's a fact.

I've been the warden's clerk here

for eight years. I know it.

What you got here mainly are rural people.

You know what I mean?

Well, they're not much at paperwork.

No sophistication. They....

I'm not trying to put anybody down,

don't get me wrong.

I'm just telling you the way it is.

And that is the way it is.

What are you in for, Purcell?

- Nothing really. I-

- Nothing?

Well, I held up a card game,

if you're ready. Pretty stupid, huh?

Undoubtedly, they were cheating you.

Absolutely.

That's a fact.

Anyway, you need something,

I'm your man, okay?

Well, just the sunglasses for now.

You got them.

- They all for you?

- None for me.

Gotcha.

What is you gonna do about my parakeet?

Abraham, come on, will you?

Tell your story walking.

- Take a hike.

- They let him out on purpose.

Yeah, I know, your poor bird. Jesus!

- Roy, Roy.

- What?

Do I get the desk job?

You want a desk job, huh?

Well, I got a desk job for you.

Spell "ophthalmology. "

Say what?

Come on, come on.

From now on these men get out

once a day, not every six months.

All right, sir.

Purcell, I wanna see Bullen

at the house tonight.

Now, let's take a look at that boiler.

You say come in?

Look, I don't like being here.

Looks like I'm sucking up to the man,

you know what I mean?

- You're a lifer.

- Habitual criminal. The big b*tch.

You don't wanna get on my bad side.

Word is that I'm dangerous.

How about you setting that weapon aside?

How about you take off them glasses?

Now, it says here that they put you

away for breaking a toilet.

- Says you quit school in the 3rd grade.

- I ain't never quit nothing in my life.

Born Louisiana, twin brother run over

by a train at 15.

You were both trying to escape

the Hartsville Reformatory in Texas.

Yeah, well, they shot Hollis

and laid him on the tracks...

...so the train would squash him up

and make it look like an accident.

Kind of soured me, you know?

I got away, got arrested for stealing

a '65 Pontiac sedan.

Got two years for that, and I done them.

I got arrested for stealing

a '69 Pontiac convertible.

You big on Pontiacs?

Bone white,

leather, oxblood upholstery...

...big, huge, chrome fender skirts.

How'd they compare?

They f***ed up the engine in '69,

if you ask me.

- Anyway, I got three years for that.

- Another felony.

Then come the toilet.

I got picked up for vagrancy,

misdemeanor.

The next morning,

the toilet's broke off the wall.

There's six men in the cell. They stick me

with destruction of city property over $50.

Felony number three.

Habitual.

- Judge gives you life for the toilet.

- Yeah, or give me the toilet for life.

Same difference.

Anyhow, here I am, shoveling sh*t

for dead men.

Instead, how'd you like to be a trusty...

...and run my motor pool?

Mr. Brubaker, I been studying

you since you first come in...

...and it's come clear to me that you

are one weird f***ing individual.

I ain't got you figured out yet,

whether you're a good thing or a bad one.

Does that mean you'll run my motor pool?

Wear them khakis?

Get me a guitar?

Be the warden's new boy?

No, you're smarter than that.

The whole world's f***ed up,

Mr. Brubaker.

Yeah.

There ain't no use.

Tower number three.

Who am I looking at?

He's looking at me.

Up there you got Douglas Mizell.

- Who the hell is Doug Mizell?

- A forger. Three times grand theft.

I want a rundown

on everybody that's got tower duty.

I do believe that's Purcell's job, sir.

I want only murderers up there,

one-time impulse killers.

Well, aren't you taking kind of

a chance doing that? Aren't you?

It's the habituals you can't trust.

Murderers, most of them...

...already have it out of their systems.

Guys like you, right?

- There's nobody around here like me.

- Oh.

On death row, why'd you let me go?

You tell me. You're the man.

You're trying to cover yourself

both ways, right?

- You're in for murder, aren't you?

- I thought that you...

- ...asked me to come here so you could-

- All this good land, all this acreage...

...livestock, and everybody's starving.

Except guys like you.

- Did you eat?

- I don't eat that sh*t you eating.

Oh. You know a lot about nutrition?

I know about hungry.

Do you like being a trusty?

Better than being a rankman.

I suppose you're getting used

to reform wardens, seen a lot of them.

Every warden is a reform warden.

Not Renfro.

- Not Renfro?

- No.

Where you think those clothes

came from the rankmen's wearing?

You think we got some special factory

that makes rags?

Renfro got those clothes brand-new,

just like the ones you'll bring in.

- How do you know-?

- The same rags...

- ...the next reform warden will throw out.

- Let me ask you...

...something about being a trusty.

When you're out in the fields,

sitting on your horse...

...and you're holding your gun,

holding all the cards...

...what keeps you from taking off?

Mr. Brubaker, sir...

...I wouldn't go around and be putting

these ideas in nobody's head.

One day we could just lay down

all the shovels and our gun...

...and stop playing the man's game.

Pick up and run off.

Hello. Brubaker.

Yeah. Hang on.

Coombes. Coombes?

- Yeah?

- For you.

Yeah?

What?

How many hurt?

What about security?

Okay, I'll be right there.

- What's-?

- Are we finished with-?

- Yeah. What's wrong?

- The rank barrack's roof just caved in.

Hey, you boys get back

to your bunks over there!

You're taking a chance going in there,

you know that?

Somebody kill the current

in this building.

Help!

Get off of me!

Give me a hand.

Give me a hand, Coombes!

Holy Christ!

How do we get through that?

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