'Brawl In Cell Block 99' Review: I have just seen Vince Vaughn in a new light! WOW!

🥊Brawl in Cell Block 99🥊Review🥊9.2/10🥊

Rarely have I seen such unbridled inspired violence on screen. I loved every bit of this film, and can't remember the last time I winced or grimaced so bad whilst rooting so shamelessly for it to continue.

Vince Vaughn is not the type of actor you would normally associate with this kind of role. However, he offers up a bone-breaking, skull-crushing performance, like he's been playing the bad boy, hard man since day one. I have truly never seen Vaughn take on such a role, ever, it's always comedies but here he really shows the extent of his range with said role and leaves us baffled, with the question, why has he not tried such roles before?

This story compels violence, it demands it as a necessity to fulfil the screenplay. I felt my need for violent imagery completely satiated as the credits rolled. The fight scenes in particular were very well executed. Much unlike the usual physical big screen exchanges you see quite often that go on forever because fatigue in films is much like that in video games, these are shorter, more decisive and less one sided. There's little if any of that 'choreographed' feel which often makes fight scenes and physical encounters feel more like practiced dance routines than actual battles for physical supremacy.

However I'm not doing this film justice, as the story here is a great one. The film starts off fairly slowly but by the time its half an hour in and has picked up momentum, its like an unstoppable freight train, from then the pacing continues at a brilliant speed for the rest of the film. The adaptation is excellent, visually very powerful, some great graphic representation, particularly some of the prison scenes. The direction, wow! I mean this is as clear an example of what can be done with good direction as you will ever see and we have director S. Craig Zahler (Bone Tomahawk) to thank for that. Acting was brilliant from everyone especially Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) and Don Johnson. Truthfully, I could fault a few aspects of this film if I nit-pick, but really, that would be me trivialising.

If you don't like gruesome violence do not watch this film. This film takes you by the scruff of the neck and throws you into a world of graphic physical violence. If you want to watch a good story, essentially about the depths of violence that can be unleashed by a 'good-guy' when truly motivated criminal elements for manipulation... watch this film!!