Brawl in Cell Block 99

Brawl in Cell Block 99 is a 2017 American prison film written and directed by S. Craig Zahler and starring Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Carpenter, Marc Blucas, Mustafa Shakir, Dion Mucciacito, Geno Segers, Thomas Guiry, Udo Kier, and Don Johnson. The story follows Bradley Thomas, a drug mule who must kill a man held in a maximum security prison to rescue his pregnant wife from a vengeful drug lord. Zahler wrote the script of Brawl in Cell Block 99 after watching several prison films, coming up with different elements to add to the genre. He cast Vaughn for his consistency and authenticity, in a break from the comedic roles that Vaughn usually plays. Vaughn exercised and underwent training for the film's action and fighting sequences. Filming took place in Staten Island, New York City, between August and October 2016 under a production budget of $4 million. The film premiered at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, and was released in theaters, digital HD, and video on demand in October 2017, by RLJE Films. It received positive reviews which praised Vaughn's performance and the film's 1970s exploitation style. The film was named among the year's best films by the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The A.V. Club.