Brawl in Cell Block 99

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Brawl in Cell Block 99
Brawl in Cell Block 99 poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byS. Craig Zahler
Written byS. Craig Zahler
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBenji Bakshi
Edited byGreg D'Auria
Music by
  • Jeff Herriott
  • S. Craig Zahler
Production
companies
Distributed byRLJE Films
Release dates
  • September 2, 2017 (2017-09-02) (Venice)
  • October 6, 2017 (2017-10-06) (United States)
Running time
132 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$4 million[2]
Box office$79,208[3]

Brawl in Cell Block 99 is a 2017 American neo-noir[4][5] prison thriller film written and directed by S. Craig Zahler. It stars Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, Marc Blucas, and Tom Guiry. It was screened out of competition at the 74th Venice International Film Festival.[6] The film was released in theaters on October 6, 2017, and on digital HD and video on demand on October 13, 2017, by RLJE Films.

Plot[]

Former boxer and drug mule Bradley Thomas is laid off from his job at an auto repair shop. When he arrives home, he finds a hickey on his wife Lauren, who admits to an extramarital affair. Bradley orders her inside the house before he violently dismantles her car. He later discusses with Lauren their failing relationship and forgives her and returns to drug trafficking.

Eighteen months later, Bradley and a now-pregnant Lauren have adjusted to a better life. Bradley's boss, Gil, introduces him to Eleazar, a new business associate, with a task to pick up a package of crystal meth with two of Eleazar's men. Bradley distrusts one of Eleazar's henchmen, Roman, but accepts the job when Gil offers him three months paternity leave. When they arrived at the pier and successfully obtained the drugs, Bradley realized it was a police trap and ordered Eleazar's men to ditch the drugs. However, Eleazar's men ignore him and exchange fire with the police. Bradley, hesitant, attacks Eleazar's men, one of the men is fatally shot by the police while Roman is incapacitated. Bradley was then detained and unwilling to give out names, he was sentenced to seven years in a medium-security prison.

During the night, Lauren is kidnapped by men under the orders of Eleazar. In prison, Bradley is visited by the Placid Man, a henchman of Eleazar, and is told that unless Bradley assassinates an inmate named Christopher Bridge, who is held in Cell Block 99 at Redleaf, a maximum-security prison, the limbs of his unborn child will be surgically removed by an abortionist and sent to him. Bradley reluctantly accepts and picks a fight with multiple guards, until he is overpowered and transferred to Redleaf.

At Redleaf, Bradley encounters the authoritarian Warden Tuggs, who he and his guards mistreat. He eventually learns from a fellow inmate who informs him that Cell Block 99 is for society's most despised criminals. Bradley then devises a plan and starts a brawl with other prisoners, resulting in him being sent to Cell Block 99 and being forced to wear a stun belt. Bradley speaks to a man in an adjacent cell, who informs him that Christopher Bridge does not exist at all.

During the night, Wilson, one of the Redleaf guards, escorts Bradley to another cell within Cell Block 99, where Eleazar and his gang, including Roman, are held. It is revealed that they intend to torture Bradley for their amusement throughout his incarceration at Redleaf. Bradley then devises a plan and places the rubber from his shoe linings between his body and belt to prevent the stuns. He ambushes Wilson and another guard, killing the former. He later brutally kills most of Eleazar's gang, leading Eleazar to call the abortionist to start the operation. Eleazar threatens Bradley to no avail, with Bradley taking Eleazar's phone and torturing him until Eleazar calls off the operation.

The Placid Man and the abortionist follow Eleazar's instructions and drive Lauren unharmed to Gil's house. As they drive away, Gil retrieves a hidden rifle and kills the Placid Man. Lauren then takes the rifle and shoots the abortionist. Gil phones Bradley to inform him that his family is finally safe, then Bradley speaks to Lauren about their unborn child. Bradley then decapitates Eleazar in his cell, and Tuggs and his guards emerge and execute Bradley.

Cast[]

Production[]

Development[]

S. Craig Zahler at the 2017 Venice International Film Festival

The script for Brawl in Cell Block 99 was written in 2011, which was earlier than director and writer S. Craig Zahler's directorial debut Bone Tomahawk (2015).[7] Zahler came up with the concept after watching several prison films at the Film Forum in New York City, coming up with different elements to add into the genre.[7] In an interview with The Verge, Zahler explained:

Prison is such a compelling place to set a movie, because you have a bunch of hard-edged dudes confined together, and all of them are going to have interesting backstories.[8]

One of the films that inspired Zahler to create Brawl in Cell Block 99 was Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954) and he was a fan of the film's director Don Siegel.[9] All scenes of graphic violence is ingrained into the script of Brawl in Cell Block 99 and Zahler's previous film Bone Tomahawk, with Zahler being uncomfortable and wondering if he has gone too far when writing it.[10] Regarding the title of the film, Zahler remarked how he wanted to use a title with multiple meanings instead of titles with one word or two words with the word "the", exemplifying how he was underwhelmed by the title of the 2016 film Moonlight and how it felt meaningless compared to the play it was based on, In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.[11]

Zahler sold the script of Brawl in Cell Block 99 to several producers but progress on developing the film later stalled until Bone Tomahawk was completed.[7] Not wanting the producers to make changes to the script, Zahler had Jack Heller of Assemble Media and Dallas Sonnier of Cinestate bring back the script and allow Zahler to have full creative control over it.[7][12] He also hoped the budget for the film would be greater than the one provided for Bone Tomahawk, which he was then given $4 million.[2] Heller and Sonnier will produce it as Caliber Media while XYZ Films would be responsible for the film's executive production.[13]

Casting[]

For instance, a character closer to this guy is someone like Woody Harrelson. His head is there, his accent is naturally there. I’m a big Woody Harrelson fan, but he would be the normal choice here. When you’re trying to make something unique, which I’m trying to do with all my pieces, and I took some guy who’d played a character close to this one before…? I’d lose the unique experience of watching this character, the physicality, the muscle, the very layered internal work. The conflation of all of this stuff yields a character we’ve never seen before. If Woody Harrelson came in and did this, he would have done an excellent job, the transformation isn’t as big. That was the thing with picking Vince, that transformation would be there.

—S. Craig Zahler, Den of Geek, 2017[14]

On August 17, 2016, Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Carpenter signed in to play the main male lead and the main female lead respectively. Vaughn plays Bradley, a former boxer who lost his job at the garage and was sent to prison for drug trafficking, while Jennifer Carpenter will be playing his wife. In October, it was announced that Dan Amboyer would join the cast of the film.[15][2]

Vaughn and Carpenter were Zahler's first picks as the main actors of the film.[14] Carpenter initially was to be cast as the main female lead of Bone Tomahawk but was not able to appear due to scheduling conflicts.[16] Zahler has enjoyed Vaughn's performances in Swingers (1996), The Cell (2000), Old School (2003), and Hacksaw Ridge (2016) due to them feeling real rather than being acting.[17] Although Vaughn is mainly known for his comedic roles, Zahler wanted to tap into Vaughn's talent in playing serious roles. Since Vaughn is six feet and five inches, Zahler remarked: "I knew he was a big guy. I knew if I saw him on the street I wouldn’t think that guy’s a comedian. I would think that’s a menacing looking dude."[11][14][18] Vaughn has seen Zahler's directorial debut Bone Tomahawk, and agreed to perform in Brawl in Cell Block 99 after reading its script. Vaughn remarked: “Zahler doesn’t write in a genre. He takes all of these elements and cross-pollinates them and tells a unique story.”[19] Vaughn went through physical exercise to prepare for fighting sequences that are similar to "traditional Hong Kong fight movie sequences."[19] Zahler arranged for Drew Leary to be the choreographer for the fight scenes.[20]

Bradley, who Vaughn plays in the film, has a cross tattoo in the back of his head, which according to Vaughn represents Christianity.[19] Zahler hoped that people would be interested in the origin of the cross tattoo and let the world see that "this is a Vince Vaughn you’ve never seen before."[21] Vaughn previously had boxing and wrestling experience, allowing Zahler to shoot the fight scenes that he wants with as little cutting as possible. This filming style is similar to Buster Keaton, Fred Astaire, and Jackie Chan, where there is little editing as possible and allowing the actors to play in-person. Zahler states, "I don’t think anyone in the world is walking out of this movie thinking, 'Oh, that was Vince Vaughn’s stunt double.'"[8]

Zahler praised Don Johnson, who played Warden Tuggs: "Don does a fantastic job in bringing this character to life as someone who handles different people as an animal handler would handle different animals."[21]

Filming[]

Principal photography began in Staten Island in New York City on August 15, 2016 and wrapped on October 17, 2016, lasting a period of five weeks.[13][14][22] The shooting schedule was tight, with the film crew needing to shoot in multiple locations in the same day. During filming, the crew looked for new locations during their lunch break when they lost the original location. Producers Jack Heller and Greg Zuk are responsible for finding some of these locations.[2]

Benji Bakshi serves as the cinematography director and has previous collaborated with Zahler in his directorial debut Bone Tomahawk. Bakshi shot the film in 1.85:1 rather than 2.35:1 of which the latter was used in Bone Tomahawk. This is due to the primary focus on one character in Brawl in Cell Block 99 instead of an ensemble cast in Bone Tomahawk. Bakshi also used the RED Weapon camera instead of the RED Dragon camera that was previously used in Bone Tomahawk since Zahler found the RED Dragon to be visually noisier.[8] To make the film more atmospheric, Zahler and Bakshi focused on the blue tones in the early parts of the film and progressively becoming darker as the film hits the third act, giving an oppressive medieval dungeon-feel to it.[8]

Since Zahler did not want to use CG in Brawl in Cell Block 99, most of the violence and gore are done in physical special effects.[7] Zahler did not use a lot of edits, close-ups, and sound effects to make the violence as realistic and uncomfortable as possible, explaining: "I shoot violence in a really unvarnished way, without all this cinematic frosting, and there’s no CG so there isn’t that slight off, digital feel. It makes the impact sharper, because it’s not how audiences are used to seeing movie violence."[10] Shooting of the fight scenes is a tedious and stressful process, as actors has to rehearse multiple times and some of the mistakes are where the actors gets punched.[7]

Music[]

Brawl in Cell Block 99
Soundtrack album by
various artists, Jeff Herriott, S. Craig Zahler
ReleasedOctober 13, 2017
GenreSoul, Funk
Length31:10
LabelLakeshore Records

The film's soundtrack was composed by Zahler's friend Jeff Herriott, having previously worked together in Bone Tomahawk. Zahler has also collaborated with other artists to compose original songs, such as rhythm and blues tunes performed by The O'Jays.[19][20] The soundtrack is mainly based on soul music with a whole band of bass, drums, guitar, harp and flute, plus trumpets, strings and snare drums instead of synthesizers.[2] To meet the purpose of letting the cast act without interference, the score is rarely used in the film.[8]

Lakeshore Records released the soundtrack on October 13, 2017 in CD, Digital, and Vinyl formats.[23]

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Give Her a Ride"Butch Tavares4:20
2."The Letter That Won't Ever Be Sent"Butch Tavares3:22
3."You Are Yesterday"Butch Tavares4:17
4."Trumpets of Heaven"Adi Armour5:08
5."This Lovely Park"Adi Armour4:38
6."God Bless My Mama"The O'Jays4:38
7."Buddy's Business"The O'Jays4:47
Total length:31:10

Release[]

The film premiered at the 74th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2017.[1] In the same month, Brawl in Cell Block 99 had screenings at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and the Fantastic Fest.[24] In August 2017, RLJE Films acquired the North American distribution rights, having previously released Zahler's Bone Tomahawk. The film was released in theaters on October 6, 2017, and on digital HD and video on demand on October 13, 2017.[25][26][27][28] On August 29, 2017, the film's trailer was released.[19][24] Brawl in Cell Block 99 grossed $79,000 worldwide.[29]

The DVD and Blu-ray versions of the film, with some Blu-ray versions including 4K resolution, was released in the United States on December 26, 2017, and includes a Q&A session with the film's behind-the-scenes production and cast and crew at Beyond Fest.[30][31] The 4K Ultra HD/Blu version also features an alternative special retro cover.[32][33] In Germany, Brawl in Cell Block 99 was released in an edited version different from the original version to bypass censorship to be approved by the country's film classification review board, the FSK.[34]

Critical response[]

Brawl in Cell Block 99 received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike, with praise focusing on its 1970s tough-guy exploitative or grindhouse movie style, and Vince Vaughn's performance that was contrary to his past roles in comedy films.[35][36][37] In addition, viewers appreciated the violence and gore presented in physical special effects.[38] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 90% based on 93 reviews, with an average rating of 7.60/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Brawl in Cell Block 99 rides a committed Vince Vaughn performance into the brutally violent—and undeniably entertaining—depths of prison-set grindhouse genre fare."[39] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[40] After the film was screened at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, the film received a warm applauses from the audience.[36]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars and praised Vaughn's performance, saying: "In the middle of all the wince-inducing, limb-bending, bone-crunching, face-exploding bloodshed, Vaughn turns in a legitimately great performance that ranks among the finest work he's ever done."[35] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times wrote: "This painstakingly paced thriller displays an intensity of purpose that makes it impossible to dismiss as well-executed trash."[41]

Accolades[]

The film made year-end best of lists for Newsweek,[42] Los Angeles Times,[43] Collider,[44] JoBlo.com,[45] The A.V. Club,[46] and others. The picture was a New York Times Critics Pick[47] and was screened at the Museum of Modern Art,[48] where it was added to the permanent collection.[48]

At the June 27, 2018, Saturn Awards, Brawl in Cell Block 99 was nominated as Best Thriller Film and Vince Vaughn was nominated as Best Actor for his appearance in this film.[49]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Rooney, David (September 2, 2017). "'Brawl in Cell Block 99' Review | Venice 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e ""Brawl in Cell Block 99" Director S. Craig Zahler on Taking Vince Vaughn to a Different Place as an Actor". The Tracking Board. October 5, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  3. ^ "Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)". The Numbers. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  4. ^ Nobile Jr., Phil (September 24, 2017). "'Fantastic Fest Review: BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99 Is A Misanthropic Masterpiece". Birth.Movies.Death. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  5. ^ "Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)". FilmAffinity. April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  6. ^ Anderson, Ariston (July 27, 2017). "Venice Competition Includes Films From George Clooney, Guillermo del Toro, Darren Aronofsky". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Interview: S. Craig Zahler Talks Brawl in Cell Block 99". ComingSoon.net. October 6, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e Robinson, Tasha (October 7, 2017). "How Brawl in Cell Block 99's director 'made it happen on the set'". The Verge. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  9. ^ "Why Mel Gibson's new movie is more than just 'vile and racist'". The National. April 9, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "S Craig Zahler: 'Shooting graphic violence is like setting up a magic trick'". Little White Lies. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Stage, The Film (October 9, 2017). "'Brawl in Cell Block 99' Director S. Craig Zahler on Casting Vince Vaughn and Realistic Violence". The Film Stage. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  12. ^ Miller, Stuart (January 28, 2019). "How a "Populist" Film Studio Is Turning Rage and Violence Into Revenue". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Busch, Anita (August 17, 2016). "'Dexter's Jennifer Carpenter Cast Opposite Vince Vaughn In 'Brawl In Cell Block 99'". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d "S. Craig Zahler interview: Brawl In Cell Block 99, Bone Tomahawk". Den of Geek. October 19, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  15. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (October 17, 2016). "Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Joins 'The Greatest Showman On Earth'; Dan Amboyer Cast In 'Brawl In Cell Block 99'". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  16. ^ Busch, Anita (August 17, 2016). "Dexter's Jennifer Carpenter Cast Opposite Vince Vaughn In 'Brawl In Cell Block 99'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  17. ^ ""Brawl in Cell Block 99" Director S. Craig Zahler on Taking Vince Vaughn to a Different Place as an Actor". The Tracking Board. October 5, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  18. ^ Nicholson, Amy (October 3, 2017). "Vince Vaughn Reborn: Why the Actor Left Comedy Behind to Play a Badass in Brutal 'Brawl in Cell Block 99'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  19. ^ a b c d e Tartaglione, Nancy (August 29, 2017). "'Brawl In Cell Block 99': First Trailer & Vince Vaughn Talks S. Craig Zahler Thriller – Venice". Deadline. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Abrams, Simon. "Brawl in Cell Block 99 movie review (2017)". Roger Ebert. Archived from the original on October 8, 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  21. ^ a b August 22, Clark Collis; EDT, 2017 at 02:00 PM. "'Brawl in Cell Block 99' Stars a Vince Vaughn 'You've Never Seen Before,' Director Says". EW.com. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  22. ^ "Brawl In Cell Block 99". Backstage. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  23. ^ "Brawl in Cell Block 99 Soundtrack (2017)". www.soundtrack.net. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  24. ^ a b "Brawl in Cell Block 99 Trailer Uncages a Brutal Vince Vaughn". MovieWeb. August 29, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  25. ^ Collis, Clark (August 22, 2017). "Brawl in Cell Block 99 stars a Vince Vaughn 'you've never seen before'". Entertainment Weekly. Time. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  26. ^ Evans, Greg (August 10, 2017). "RLJE Films Takes North American Rights To 'Brawl In Cell Block 99'". Deadline. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  27. ^ Inc, RLJ Entertainment. "RLJE Films Acquires BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  28. ^ Kilday, Gregg (August 10, 2017). "Vince Vaughn's 'Brawl in Cell Block 99' Goes to RLJE Films". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  29. ^ "Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  30. ^ Brawl in Cell Block 99 Blu-ray (Blu-ray + DVD), retrieved January 9, 2022
  31. ^ "December 26th Blu-ray & DVD Releases Include MAYHEM, BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99, FLATLINERS (2017)". Daily Dead. December 26, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  32. ^ "Have a Brawl in Cell Block 99 in Your House!". Dread Central. November 30, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  33. ^ "BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99 starring Vince Vaughn | Available on DVD, DVD/Blu-ray and Ultra High-Def 4K/Blu-ray Combo Packs on December 26th". Horror News | HNN. December 15, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  34. ^ Wurm, Gerald. "Brawl in Cell Block 99 - Schnittbericht: Keine Jugendfreigabe (Schnittberichte.com)". www.schnittberichte.com (in German). Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  35. ^ a b Roeper, Richard (October 12, 2017). "Vince Vaughn a convincing prison brute in 'Brawl in Cell Block 99'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  36. ^ a b Gleiberman, Owen (September 4, 2017). "Venice Film Review: Vince Vaughn in 'Brawl in Cell Block 99'". Variety. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  37. ^ "'Brawl in Cell Block 99' is a Vince Vaughn resurrection". ksdk.com. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  38. ^ Moore, Nolan (March 15, 2019). "The Most Messed-Up Action Movie Moments". Looper.com. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  39. ^ "Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  40. ^ "Brawl in Cell Block 99 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  41. ^ (October 5, 2017). "Review: 'Brawl in Cell Block 99' Features a Revelatory Vince Vaughn (Published 2017)". The New York Times.
  42. ^ Ciampaglia, Dante A.; Gaudette, Emily; Menta, Anna; Schilling, Mary Kaye; Schonfeld, Zach (December 27, 2017). "The 18 most unforgettable films of 2017, from 'Brawl in Cell Block 99' to 'The Shape of Water'". Newsweek. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  43. ^ Chang, Justin (December 15, 2017). "'Call Me by Your Name', 'The Florida Project' lead Justin Chang's 12 best films of 2017". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  44. ^ Formo, Brian (December 24, 2017). "Brian's Top 10 Films of 2017". Collider. Complex Media. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  45. ^ JimmyO (December 29, 2017). "The 10 Best Films of 2017". JoBlo.com. JoBlo Media. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  46. ^ Dowd, A.A.; Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy; D'Angelo, Mike; Hassenger, Jesse; Murray, Noel; Rife, Katie (December 20, 2017). "The best of film 2017: The ballots". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  47. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (October 5, 2017). "Review: 'Brawl in Cell Block 99' Features a Revelatory Vince Vaughn". The New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  48. ^ a b "Brawl in Cell Block 99. 2017. Directed by S. Craig Zahler". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  49. ^ McNary, Dave (March 15, 2018). "'Black Panther', 'Walking Dead' Rule Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.

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