Brawl in Cell Block 99
In the last decade, S. Craig Zahler carved a unique identity for himself as a writer/director. From when he burst onto the scene with Bone Tomahawk, to his controversial Dragged Across Concrete, to writing the honestly the last good Puppet Master movie, Littlest Reich, Zahler developed a reputation for his gritty characters and his dedication to the show-don’t-tell filmmaking philosophy. In the end, he always delivers, and Brawl in Cell Block 99 is the highlight of his work. Zahler helps Vince Vaughn deliver the performance of his career, playing a terrifying drug runner who has to fight deeper and deeper through horrific prisons to be reunited with his kidnapped wife and unborn child. The sheer physicality of Vaughn’s performance makes him a force to be reckoned with. You feel every punch he delivers, and the prisons he is forced to go through are shot with such character and mood. You feel as if the prisons are living breathing, worlds. The film sacrifices flash for grit, and it never misses a beat, as you’re sucked into Vaughn’s cruel odyssey to reunite with his family.
Brawl in Cell Block 99 is available on Prime
