We have seen Vince Vaughn in a wide range of films starting from romantic comedies to horror movies and also successful buddy comedies. But it is mostly in the field of comedy that he has done most of his on-screen work. Though way taller than most action heroes out there, Vince Vaughn never had the muscular physique of a conventional action movie hero. Brawl in Cell Block 99 lets Vaughn break free from all the past roles he has done into the most intimidating and violent character he has ever played. He portrays Bradley Thomas, a drug dealer who must fight his way through a nightmarish prison setup to find salvation.

The writer-director S. Craig Zahler who directed the cult classic Bone Tomahawk earlier gives us a taste of another sharp and tight script loaded with his trademark violence that can be gut-churning at times. There have been plenty of prison movies whose themes mostly dealt with the protagonist being forced to fight in some illegal prison fight club.

The director does not set his foot into that same old setup and gives us a different flavored dish with the same ingredients. He uses Vince Vaughn’s imposing height to an advantage and the actor uses the chance to appear menacing and merciless even against opponents much wider than him in breadth. We are given one hint of the strength and fury simmering under the seemingly quite brooding surface of Bradley in the beginning, when he tears apart an automobile with his bare hands, simply disregarding his bleeding knuckles.

The movie takes its own time to start warming things up and starts with Bradley Thomas landing into a personal crisis as he is laid off from his garage job. The relationship with his wife, Lauren played by Jennifer Carpenter, is in turmoil as he finds her cheating on him. He then starts to deliver drugs for an old friend and within two years the couple gets much wealthier and Lauren is pregnant. But a deal involving a Mexican drug lord goes south resulting in a police shootout. Bradley had to cut down two of his crew to save police lives.

After refusing to name anyone, he gets a sentence of seven years in jail. Just on his second day in prison, Bradley is given a message that Lauren has been kidnapped and he has to pay his debts if he wants to see his wife and unborn child alive in the future. Bradley agrees and finds himself caught in a web from which he must fight out using his brains and brawns.

The movie shifts into a dark and brutal zone just after Udo Kier, who plays the sinister messenger from the cartel, enters the frame. Bradley’s bald head with the crucifix tattooed on it conveys more menace than his calm face and the director keeps the focus on him as the movie gets into top gear. Don Johnson plays the role of a tough and corrupt warden of a maximum security prison who does not take any nonsense from his prisoners.

Vince Vaughn dispenses his motormouth tag and often lets his eyes do most of the talking, displaying a calmness and matter-of-fact approach through all the pain he endures and inflicts. He is not an action hero who can kick and punch like a ninja, so the fights are raw and brutal.

The fight sequences are very smartly choreographed by Drew Leary with a mixture of boxing and martial arts movements. Vaughn does pretty well in the fight sequences with his controlled aggression and ability to finish a fight once it gets started. Cinematographer Benji Bakshi, in his second partnership with Zahler, keeps his camera ideally placed without many close-ups so that the viewers do not miss a movement. Zahler keeps good control over the plot development and even when it is stretched; it never goes beyond the acceptable limits for a film of this genre. The dialogue is kept sharp and just enough to match the tone.

This violent and dark thriller is not a ride that everyone will enjoy, but the late-night action fans who like to cheer for their anti-hero after he is forced into a corner are in for some good entertainment. But ultimately, the film rides on Vince Vaughn’s shoulders and he proves that height does matter.

Teleratz rating:  Very Good

By:  Suvajit Banerjee

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