Brawl in Cell Block 99

Summary

“If you make trouble – your minimum freedom will get smaller.”

Earlier this week I watched the film Bone Tomahawk. I was so floored by S. Craig Zahler’s debut, that I watched his second film Brawl in Cell Block 99 the next night. I am pleased to say that his second film is just as effective and enjoyable as his first. Whereas the first film blended horror elements with traditional Western elements, his second film is a throwback to the type of prison grindhouse films of the Seventies. Featuring a stellar performance by Vince Vaughn, Brawl in Cell Block 99 is an excellent sophomore feature.

As the film begins, auto mechanic Bradley Thomas (Vince Vaughn) is having a truly terrible day. He gets laid off from his job and when he gets home he finds that his wife Lauren (Jennifer Carpenter) has been cheating on him. In response, he violently attacks her car so he can gain control of his emotions before talking to her inside their house. They sort through their issues that and decide that in order to right the trajectory of their marriage, they need to have a baby. In order to provide for his family, he wants to go back to running drugs for his friend Gil (Marc Blucas.) Eighteen months later, their lives have turned around and they live in a comfortable house. Bradley continues to run drugs for Gil and Lauren is pregnant with a baby girl. Gil gives him a job and Brad makes a choice that gets him arrested. He is sentenced to seven years in medium security prison. Meanwhile at home, his wife is abducted. Under the guise of being a doctor, (Udo Kier) comes to the prison and lets him know that they have taken his wife and will cause harm to his unborn child if he does not kill a man named Christopher Bridge. Christopher is in a maximum security prison called Redleaf. To get there, Bradley violently proves he needs to be transferred. Once in Redleaf he meets the hard edged Warden Tuggs (Don Johnson.)

I absolutely loved Brawl in Cell Block 99. The grind house film experience is an art form that has not been carried into the twenty first century by many filmmakers with the exception of Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and a few others. S. Craig Zahler knows how to spin an intense yarn and allow a film enough breathing room to fully form his characters and their motivations. The writing of this film is incredibly tough and brutal, but it has a beating heart that allows all of the violence in the film to be justified. The script is very well written. The pacing of the film is perfect – slowly allowing the plot to unfold until the tension is at a fever’s pitch. Zahler also wrote all the songs in the film that lend the film a distinct Seventies vibe.

The acting is likewise excellent. When Vince Vaughn first came onto the fil, scene, he drew comparisons to Marlon Brando. He was the independent film world’s darling before he became a true household name with films like Wedding Crashers. If you can’t remember back to those days, check him out in Clay Pigeons. Brawl in Cell Block 99 gives him one of his meatiest roles in years – full of silent rage but guided by a moral compass. Vaughn is believably tough in this film and when he gets to fighting he really looks like a brawler. It’s awesome. The supporting players are all well cast. Don Johnson is great as the Warden. Johnson has had a bit of a renaissance in the last few years and has impressed me with the roles he has been choosing. Jennifer Carpenter is believable as the wayward but loving wife. Udo Kier is creepy as hell in his role.

Overall – Brawl in Cell Block 99 is a fantastic independent film and great sophomore feature for S. Craig Zahler.

Video

Brawl in Cell Block 99 is presented on Ultra HD in Native 4K with an HEVC/ H.265 encoded transfer in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The film was shot in 6K on digital and those files were used to present the film in 4K. While some reviewers have noted that the 4K release is not a big leap over the Blu-ray, largely because the transfer does not utilize HDR, I was consistently pleased with how the film looked on 4K. Is it a big enough leap to justify the extra three dollars to purchase it in 4K? For myself, the answer is a definite yes with the caveat being that so,e will disagree with me. 

Audio

The audio treatment of Brawl in Cell Block 99 sounds great with a well done DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track. The film features a really cool soundtrack composed by director S. Craig Zahler that sounds lifted from the Seventies. The fight sequences and action sequences in the film use the surrounds really well. 

Supplements:

• Journey to the Brawl – a fun and informative EPK on the making of the film.
• Beyond Fest Q&A – features Vince Vaughn, S. Craig Zahler, Udo Kier, Don Johnson, Jennifer Carpenter, and Jack Heller to discuss the film.

Overall Scores:

Video – 4/5 

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 3/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Overall, Brawl in Cell Block 99 is an excellent sophomore feature from writer/director S. Craig Zahler. Like Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99 is a rough and tumble affair that has a lot of violent acts. It is also incredibly well written, acted, and directed. Vince Vaughn is amazing in the lead role – easily one of his best roles in the last decade. This is one of my favorite crime films in the last few years. It is good to see that grind house cinema can be done so well in this century. Zahler is going to be a filmmaker to watch closely in the coming years.