Review of Brawl in Cell Block 99

When the tow truck driver and former boxer Bradley Thomas (Vince Vaughn) is fired from his job, he decides to work transporting drugs for his friend Gil (Marc Blucas) to have a better life with his wife Lauren Thomas (Jennifer Carpenter). Bradley is a family man and eighteen months later, Lauren is pregnant of a girl. Gil decides to associate to the drug dealer Eleazar (Dion Mucciacito) against Bradley's will. When he goes to bring a shipment of drugs with two men from Eleazar's gang, they do not follow his instructions and they stumble upon the police. Bradley protects the police officers killing one of the gangsters and is arrested. Bradley does not rat Gil and is sent to a medium security prison for a seven-year sentence. Two days later, Bradley is visited by a mysterious man that tells that Lauren has been kidnapped by Eleazar, who lost his shipment and two men in the operation. He tells that Bradley must kill an inmate called Christopher Bridge that is inmate in the cell Block 99 of a maximum security prison. Otherwise Lauren will be submitted to a surgery to remove the limbs of her baby that will be sent to him. What will Bradley do?

"Brawl in Cell Block 99" is one of the most brutal and graphic prison movies ever made. This genre usually produces good films and series and "Brawl in Cell Block 99" is no exception. However this film is more graphic than most of them and the underrated Vince Vaughn has an extraordinary performance in one of his best roles. The plot is realistic and scary, and Bradley Thomas is an intriguing character, family man with moral values and extremely brutal when necessary. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Confronto no Pavilhão 99" ("Showdown in the Cell Block 99")

Note: on 13 November 2022, I saw this film again.