Brawl in Block Cell 99, S. Craig Zahler, USA, 2017, 132'
Second round: S. Craig Zahler vs. genre conventions; in this case, revisiting the director’s prison and revenge films. And, in this second round, there has been a huge victory – thanks to a direct, blunt knock-out by Zahler: prison has never been such a violent and wild place as in this film. Bradley (Vince Vaughn) is a big, quiet guy. Everything could have gone well in his life, and this could have been a happy film with a couple that is in love and has plans for the future. But this is a film by S. Craig Zahler; therefore, things soon start to take a turn: Bradley loses his job as a mechanic and decides to earn his living by working for a drug dealer. Obviously, prison is his next stop. That's when we find out about his past as a boxer. It's also when we rediscover a character who is like an amazing combination of a Zen Master and a brutal bone-breaker.
The film was premiered at the International Film Festival of Venice in 2017.
Second round: S. Craig Zahler vs. genre conventions; in this case, revisiting the director’s prison and revenge films.