Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)

After watching "Bone Tomahawk", the topic of last time + "Dragged Across Concrete" a while ago, I decided to try what was left in the brief list of movies by S. Craig Zahler: "Brawl in Cell Block 99". Especially given the ratings, which are quite good. Well, the choice was bad. But I doubt I have the time for another for what's left of this week, so we're stuck with this as subject.

Bradley Thomas is a guy with principles, who getting fired from an auto repair shop, and almost left by his wife, takes a radical decision to start a much more profitable career as a drug runner. The new job makes his life better indeed for a short while - new house, happy marriage, a child on the way. Until a transport gets bad due to some of his less trusted co-workers who attack a police crew. Between deciding to either run away or join them, Bradly picks the worst option for himself - he takes the part of the police in the gunfire. Action that first seems to get him a lighter sentence or even get him close to escape it completely. But since Bradley is a guy with principles, he refuses to confess on his boss involvement, and gets locked away for seven years. The bad part though comes one day after sentencing - an unknown visitor tasks him with an impossible mission - to kill somebody in a different prison, under the threat of losing his wife and unborn child.

As in the other two movies mentioned before, on the negative side here we're again served with a bit two much violence (somehow better dosed though...), and not receiving a very happy ending. Unfortunately, unlike "Bone Tomahawk", the positive side is missing. The dialogues are ok-ish, but "the witty factor" is far from what we had there. The acting is the same: ok-ish. Above all the film feels like a cheap B movie, feeling that was not obvious in the other cases despite the similar low budget. We also have some exaggerated scenery more close to middle ages, from a maximum security prison with some underground cells, which maybe you could find in some other place but doubtfully in the US. The only plus to count on the action is a sort of twist that cuts what otherwise looks like a linear development. Although, if I think better where this twist leads...

Rating: 2.5 out of 5