Brawl In Cell Block 99 takes its time with its set-up, but that only makes the action that follows all the more effective. And Vaughn as an action hero works surprisingly well.
Wham, bam, thank you, Sam. Zahler does Peckinpah proud.
In terms of its storyline alone, this is a bit of a potboiler, a typical prison drama, but the dialogue is razor sharp and the performances, especially that of Vince Vaughn, are far more nuanced and poignant than you’d expect.
A hulking, two-fisted Vaughn is surprisingly effective in the kind of film that might once have starred Charles Bronson, but it is not for the fainthearted.
Those of a remotely sensitive disposition should obviously steer well clear; others will lap up the bonanza of oh-so convincingly executed bloodshed, in a film that finds the spirit of grindhouse alive and thriving.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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