Brubaker Page #7

You've got dry rot, disease, rats all over,

not enough place for the men to sleep.

You've got a boiler that your own state

inspectors condemned six years ago.

We authorized a bid on a new boiler.

Am I wrong?

- Why won't your purchasing take my calls?

- I'm looking into that.

While we're at it,

let's look into things like...

...assaulting a doctor,

firing a state employee...

...who's been keeping the books

for years.

- Because he wasn't worth a-

- Well.

You're letting inmates take over the place,

inmates with fourth-grade educations.

They don't all have

fourth-grade education.

You're not gonna tell me

that's gonna work.

The point is these men have

to at least...

...feel like they're taking responsibility.

They'll change this place, not me.

- Well, what the hell are we paying you for?

- All right. Hold it.

The bottom line here is that you want

to make life real easy for those men.

- Don't you, Mr. Brubaker?

- No. Not at all.

I think it is.

I think you kind of like men

like that.

Maybe because they're reckless,

same as you.

They see something they don't like,

they shoot it up or burn it down.

Make up their own laws

as they go along.

I didn't make up those laws. You did.

Because they've held up

our businesses.

They've raped our daughters

and murdered our sons.

And so we make them wards

of the state...

...which means we accept responsibility

to feed them, to clothe them...

...give them medical attention.

Not to starve them, not to torture them,

not to humiliate them.

And if you don't like the laws,

then change them.

In the meantime, it's my job-

It's your job to listen

to the people who pay you.

No, sir, it is my job

to reform a prison.

I'm not here to work

for a political party...

- ...or the state or a governor.

- May I butt in a second?

Let the record show that State Senator

Charles Hite desires to comment.

Mr. Brubaker, I think you owe it to yourself

to face some hard facts.

The people in this state have got

themselves a whole lot of problems...

...getting jobs, paying rent,

insurance premiums.

Now, come election time, they might

vote for your prison-reform thing...

...but that's just a reflex.

They don't want to hear

their taxes are being raised...

...to take care of murderers

and rapists.

That farm wasn't costing

anybody anything...

...before you got your hands on it.

You follow what I'm saying?

Why don't we go and build

them a putting green or a clubhouse?

Or a miniature golf course with

a hot, whirly, bubbly bath in it?

Why don't we build them a roof

that won't cave in on them?

That's enough.

- An insured roof this time.

- What do you mean?

The collapsed roof isn't covered at all,

that's what.

But we do have coverage

for thrashing machines...

...bailers, swatters, a tractor.

Sounds sensible to me to have the

things insured. I approved those policies.

You did more than that.

Your company sold us the policies.

The only trouble is, we don't have that

equipment on our farm. It doesn't exist.

What you have got, Mr. Brubaker,

is a piss-poor attitude.

I don't like you,

but that's beside the point.

No, it's not.

And still I'm telling you this

as a favor to Lillian Gray...

...who, for some unknown reason,

believes in you.

Do not- I repeat:

Do not come marching in here

from wherever the hell she found you...

...and presume to lecture us about

how to treat our fellow man.

We're all sitting here for free tonight,

except you.

We all got better places we could be.

So do I.

I think we all better have

a little food and calm down.

Brubaker!

How long you gonna last

pulling stunts like this?

What do you want to hear?

That I know exactly what I'm doing?

I'm sorry I don't have

all the right answers for you.

Then make some up.

Because what you've got to understand...

...is that they'll pull the plug

on all this.

And if you're not in the system,

you can't change it.

Give them something. Let them think

they control you. That's the secret.

You know who the real obstacles

to prison reform are?

It's not John Deach

or Senator Whatever-His-Name-Is.

- Hite.

- Hite. It's prison reformers...

...pseudo-reformers.

People that want to say the right thing,

be at the right place...

...get in the paper,

and get nothing done.

You see everything

from Brubaker's point of view.

Everything you do is right,

everyone else is absurd.

I don't know what's right or

wrong. Everybody's got their own version.

I'm just interested in what works.

There's no way

to beat guys like that.

You can't toe the line

because it keeps changing.

You have to be smarter than they are.

I've locked the goddamn keys

in the car.

God!

For the first time, it's occurring to those

prisoners that they don't have to take...

...everything shoved at them,

because they're still human beings.

So maybe someday,

when they do get out...

...they won't rape John Deach's daughter

or murder his son.

Bravo, but you're full of sh*t.

Just not enough to make things

work in that prison.

- The real problem is out here.

- Out here they don't want to hear you.

And they don't want to see me.

So why do you bother?

Why do you spend day after day sitting

in rooms with people like that...

...and let them make a fool

out of you?

Because sometimes you don't lose.

And if you can't figure out

how to play these people...

...you are gonna self-destruct.

And then you'll be of no use to me.

Turn on the lights.

I just got the call from the tower.

Find out why the man on duty

in Tower One didn't report anything.

Those guys at night, they....

Find out!

You had to listen to him, huh?

- What?

- What?

Oh, I don't believe men like you.

You're dangerous men.

You start wars

and let other people fight them.

You come and talk about,

"Do this, do that.

Think this way. Be this way. "

You stick a sign in a fool's hand

and say, "Follow me.

I got the thing figured out.

We can change things for the better. "

Well, that's a lot of bullshit!

There's only one thing you do.

And that's get people killed!

Maybe you're right.

- You don't wanna go in there now.

- But I have-

Not now.

- Warden.

- Yeah?

There's a Lillian Gray on the phone.

She's saying it's urgent.

I'm through talking.

I can't figure out how you found out.

Nothing happens at that prison

that doesn't get out.

- Now you're sounding paranoid.

- I'm not paranoid.

The enemy's real.

All right. You know the fairgrounds?

- The auction house where we sell cattle?

- I'll find it.

- What time in the morning?

- Eight o'clock.

I'll meet- No.

Make it earlier, 7.

I have to be back.

I'll see you at 7.

I said alone.

He's a friend.

You haven't actually

found anything yet, have you?

- No.

- Doesn't matter. It's having its effect.

- You called him?

- Didn't have to.

The senator called Lillian

last night himself.

Well, let me put this as simple as I can,

Mr. Brubaker.

You've gotta stop digging.

Why?

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