One of my favorite films from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival wasS. Craig Zahler’s(Bone Tomahawk) sophomore feature,Brawl in Cell Block 99. If you’re not familiar with the film, the movie features an awesome performance byVince Vaughnas a former boxer named Bradley who ends up having to work for a friend as a drug courier. When things go off the rails, Vaughn lands in prison where he’s given an ultimatum: either do what he’s told or loved ones on the outside will suffer.
Trust me, you’ve never seen Vaughn in a role like this and he absolutely knocks it out of the park. I saw the film at its world premiere at TIFF and throughout the film there were a number of gasps in the audience due to the violence depicted onscreen. It’s a wild ride and one I strongly recommend checking out for yourself.Brawl in Cell Block 99also starsDonJohnson,Jennifer Carpenter,Udo Kier,Rob MorganandMarc Blucas. For more on the filmread Matt Goldberg’s review.
Shortly after seeing the TIFF premiere I got to sit down with Vince Vaughn and Don Johnson for an exclusive interview. They talked about the enthusiastic response to the screening, filming the movie in only 25 days, their initial response to the script and how they got involved, filming the brutal action scenes, and so much more. In addition, they talked about S. Craig Zahler’s next film,Dragged Across Concrete, which they’re both part of.
Check out what they had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.
Vince Vaughn and Don Johnson:
Here’s the official synopsis forBrawl in Cell Block 99:
A former boxer named Bradley loses his job as an auto mechanic, and his troubled marriage is about to expire. At this crossroads in his life, he feels that he has no better option than to work for an old buddy as a drug courier. This vocation improves his situation until the terrible day that he finds himself in a gunfight between a group of police officers and his own ruthless allies. When the smoke clears, Bradley is badly hurt and thrown in prison, where his enemies force him to commit acts of violence that turn the place into a savage battleground.
