Directed by:
S. Craig ZahlerScreenplay:
S. Craig ZahlerCinematography:
Benji BakshiCast:
Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, Geno Segers, Dion Mucciacito, Fred Melamed, Rob Morgan, Tom Guiry, Marc Blucas, Dan Amboyer, Pooja Kumar (more)Plots(1)
When former boxer (Vince Vaughn) loses his job and is faced with the breakdown of his marriage, he decides to take a job as a drug courier to turn his fortunes around and provide a comfortable life for his wife Lauren (Jennifer Carpenter). Just as his situation begins to improve, a savage gunfight lands Bradley in jail where he has to make a series of impossible, chilling decisions to protect those he holds dear. Backed into a corner, Bradley now finds himself forced to commit ever more ferocious acts of violence across a vicious prison battleground on the path to the most dangerous confinement of all - Cell Block 99. (Universal Pictures UK)
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Reviews (16)
A unique film without compromises which I don’t know what other movie I can compare it with in terms of atmosphere, impression or feeling – something that doesn’t happen very often in modern filmmaking. The main character looks like a “Trumpist redneck”, but the joke here is that if you are expecting him to behave based on the prejudice about his appearance, he will surprise you with how much more there is to him. The second joke is that you will still get some violence delivered by, but to such extent and so weirdly executed that it has an almost transcendental effect. It basically doesn’t look like a film. The whole movie has a fairly ugly cinematography (digital colours, unpleasant and unusual angles), the fighting scenes are almost uncut and frequently shot in unnaturally large set pieces, and the gore also looks differently than in other films. Like, I’ve never seen a tramped skull, but the fact that here it looks different than in a million other films gave me impression that I’m maybe seeing it for the first time ever. Rather than a film, Brawl in Cell Block 99 reminded me of a very realistic dream that gradually turns into a nightmare into which you plunge deeper and deeper. In any case, one of the films of the year.
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Just another, regular day. You come home from work early and you find out that some jerk is sleeping with your wife. But you don’t go and rip his head off. No, you deal with it like a man and you try to rebuild the relationship and life you had before. But that requires time and money, so you start smuggling drugs… Brawl in Cell Block 99 stands mainly on Vince Vaughn’s minimalist performance (you’ll forget he ever played in comedies) and Zahler’s uncompromising approach to violence. The screenplay about Mr. Thomas and his journey taking him from prison to prison is full of broken limbs, stinking toilets and torture of all kinds. Since Bone Tomahawk, Zahler has improved his dramaturgic approach and the story has a much more consistent feel about it. The fantastic atmosphere where some scenes will make you want to barf, but you can’t tear your eyes from the screen is very special. Original.
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A bit better compared to the directors debut. The uncompromising violence is now not an end in itself, but serves well in the compelling story of the anti-avenger played by Vince Vaughn, the protector of a family for whom the role is a solid fling, thankfully in a positive sense. As a prison drama, it's probably not entirely realistic, but as a bizarre probe into the world of violence, unspoken emotions and anger, it is very impressive. Lots of long shots full of despair and grief interspersed with moments of unreal carnage where broken arms and crushed skulls are the order of the day. Zahler delivers something that you don’t see often in the film world, but it's also far from being for everyone. Similarly innovative in the prison genre as the recent Shot Caller, only much slower and rougher.
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Fucking awesome!! S. Craig Zahler didn't impress me much with his debut Bone Tomahawk, he did revive the dead western genre into horror with two solid gore scenes, but boredom was inevitable for me. His second effort, however, is thankfully different stuff! It stars Vince Vaughn, an actor mostly known as a B-movie comedian, but here he is transformed into an uncompromising badass that no one can beat both physically and mentally, and he delivers his strongest and best acting performance of his career! The first quarter of the film is rather tepid, but upon entering the prison, a very macho and tough guy ride begins, where the authenticity and realness literally gives you chills. For me, Red Leaf was quite possibly the toughest prison I've ever seen on film and the head warden played the heartless and unpleasant asshole with absolute grace. The very rough Zahler shoots the fights without a single cut and there is no shortage of broken arms, legs, spines and crushed skulls!!! The gore is shot very differently than in other films, so the question is who comes closer to reality? A very uncompromising, vicious, bleak, cold, intelligently written and brilliantly directed prison flick, the kind we haven’t seen for the last 20 years. It will definitely be fighting for the top spot this year. 95%
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Brawl in Cell Block 99 offers up a new definition of brutality in the field of cinema that affects and changes pop culture trends. It is an alternative form of superhero worlds with a guy who became an alpha avenger against his will, escalating with increasing violence and progressing into an almost surrealist depiction of contemporary prison environments. There is still some sense of social apathy (I refer to Bone Tomahawk), but this time there is a good intention behind all that straightforward brutality. An intention to protect. It’s like the darkest side of the poetic Drive but ten times more intense; two hours of rushing headlong into the deepest pits of hell. Vince Vaughn stars in the role of his life, for which he should be damn grateful to the director Zahler. But it is too minimalist to get an Oscar. Don Johnson might get a nomination for savoring a delicious comeback in his role of a sadistic warden, though. The climax put me into the same euphoric state of watching Pulp Fiction for the first time. Brawl is the film of the year, at least for all Tarantino lovers and fans of original visions of the underworld and crime. [Sitges FF]
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