I
was a fan of S. Craig Zahler’s Bone Tomahawk, but nothing could’ve prepared me
for the awesomeness that is Brawl in Cell Block 99. I love it when a director shows me something
I haven’t seen before. In this case,
it’s Vince Vaughn being a total badass. As
much as I like Vaughn, he never really struck me as the badass type. Cocky and likeable, sure, but not a hulking,
scary, bringer-of-death. Now that I have
seen him in this, I am perfectly okay with the idea of Vaughn playing Jason in
the next Friday the 13th movie.
Zahler
is a novelist, and he approaches his films as he would a book. Structurally, they’re very similar. He also spends a lot of time on establishing
his characters and developing their relationships before turning the screws to
them. While some may find the first half
of Brawl in Cell Block 99 slow, it’s here where Zahler is allowing the meat to
marinate. The last half hour is when he
fires up the grill, and it is a gloriously bloody, insanely gory buffet of
brutality. (Imagine if Sam Peckinpah and
Herschell Gordon Lewis had a baby out of wedlock.) Without the character-driven first half, the
movie would’ve come off as a nasty, but effective piece of exploitation
filmmaking. With it, the film is
elevated to high art.
I
will avoid plot specifics, as some of the plot turns are deliciously disgusting
and downright wrong. Not matter how
pulpy it gets, you’re emotionally invested, thanks to Vaughn’s performance. Vaughn is a revelation. I can’t stress this enough. Halfway through, you kind of forget it’s
him. Shaved completely bald and stomping
around the place like a freight train on two legs, Vaughn has transformed
himself into a beast of a man. Even
though he’s a physical monster, his moral compass is so strong that you are
with him every step of the way… or I should say, every stomp of the way. Every time he puts a boot down on some
miserable bastard’s head, it’s cause for celebration.
The
eclectic supporting cast is equally fine.
Jennifer Carpenter is excellent as Vaughn’s pregnant wife. At first glance, her role is a thankless one,
but she proves to be more resilient and savvy than what she appears to be.
My
jaw dropped when Udo Kier showed up. I
totally wasn’t expecting him at the party.
The wonderful thing is, Zahler knows exactly how to use Udo. How many movies have you seen where the
director thoroughly wastes Kier? Not
Zahler. He gives Udo what might be his
Udo-iest role yet.
Then
there’s Don Johnson. Holy Hell. He gives what is probably the most sinister
performance in a movie rife with sinister performances. How come it seems like only Tarantino,
Rodriguez, and Zahler are giving him roles like this? As much as I liked his work on Miami Vice, I
have to say he’s never been better.
By
all means see this movie. This is truly
something special. Everyone involved is
at the peak of their powers. I just read
that Zahler’s next movie features much of the same cast AND Mel Gibson. I don’t know about you, but I can’t fucking
wait to see what he has up his sleeve.
(Not only that, but he’s apparently written the next Puppet Master
movie too!)
Great review. I completely agree with everything you said. On second viewing I also really appreciated the practical special effects as opposed to CGI. They look iffy in some scenes but it is still better then the alternative.
ReplyDeleteYes, the practical effects along with the cinematography and song cues give it a gritty '70s feel.
ReplyDelete