This Brutal Prison Drama Is Vince Vaughn’s Most Unhinged Performance

It has become increasingly popular for actors best known for their comedic roles to subvert audience expectations by doing something completely different. After endearing himself to a generation of comedy fans with his role as Michael Scott in The Office, Steve Carell’s series of dramatic roles starting with Foxcatcher came as a complete shock. Similarly, Jonah Hill managed to prove he was more than a comic oaf with his Academy Award-nominated performance in Moneyball and The Wolf of Wall Street. The trend has clearly been attractive for comedy stars looking to get a fresh start, as Vince Vaughn shed his endearing humorous persona for a dramatic role in the brutal prison drama Brawl in Cell Block 99.

Given the state that Vaughn’s career was in, it was understandable why he wanted to try something so radically different than anything he had ever done before. His latest comedy roles in films like Delivery Man and Unfinished Business had been met with tepid reviews, suggesting that Vaughn was no longer one of the industry’s most viable comedic actors. Thankfully, Vaughn decided that the best way to reinvent his career was by choosing a brutal, dark project that was about as non-commercial as possible. Brawl in Cell Block 99 is an absurdly violent work of exploitation that is held together by Vaughn’s sensational performance.

What Is ‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’ About?

Set within the violent world of drug trafficking, Brawl in Cell Block 99 explores a drug mule’s attempt to infiltrate a high security prison in order to pull off an assassination. Bradley Thomas’ (Vince Vaughn) life is in shambles, as he learns that his wife Lauren (Jennifer Carpenter) is having an extramarital affair, and that the couple is now broke. Determined to improve his circumstances, Bradley decides to begin smuggling crystal meth for the gang leader Eleazar (Dion Mucciacito). A violent firefight with the cops lands Bradley in prison, but Eleazar’s associate known as “The Placid Man” (Udo Kier) offers him a grim choice. If Bradley does not break into the heavily guarded cell block 99 and kill a dangerous criminal, Eleazar will track down Lauren and kill their unborn child.

Vaughn’s performance inverts all of his inherent qualities, which makes the film’s moments of brutality all the more shocking. In comedy classics like Old School and Swingers, Vaughn earned a reputation for playing cheeky, fast-talking characters who have a knack for irritating everybody. However, Bradley is a character who avoids social interaction at all costs; in fact, it’s his inability to connect with Lauren that has made their family life so dysfunctional. The acting choice is more than just a gimmick. Bradley is kept safe within this dangerous world because he doesn’t ask questions, so it makes sense that he would keep his mouth shut when dealing with highly influential figures within the criminal underworld.

As with director S. Craig Zahler’s previous film Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99 escalates in brutality as the stakes get more personal. At first, Bradley is simply trying to defend himself in prison; he needs to establish that he is not someone that the other inmates would want to mess with, and proves his loyalty by forgoing any relationship with the guards. However, Bradley’s enemies get more dangerous once he understands that he’s fighting for his family’s livelihood. There’s more reason to invest in Bradley’s actions because his motivations are at least grounded in something relatable.

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Vince Vaughn Is a Terrifying Anti-Hero in ‘Brawl in Cell Block 99’

While Vaughn had appeared in genre films like The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Domestic Disturbance before, Brawl in Cell Block 99 is not a traditional action film. The hand-to-hand combat scenes are entirely based on brute force and stamina; Bradley essentially has to go through an endurance test as he earns more critical wounds. It was a great way to utilize Vaughn’s physicality to the film’s advantage, and indicate that Bradley comes from a very disturbing background. There are moments where he feels closer to a slasher movie villain because he refuses to stop pursuing his enemies.

As violent as the film gets, Vaughn still manages to make Bradley a vulnerable character. It’s evident that Bradley has no personal stake in the drug war, and is only willing to carry out the assassination plot because his family is in danger. He’s also not used to the grim, bare-knuckled fighting style that has become common in prison, so there’s a period where he has to adjust his tendencies. Further revelations in the plot reveal that Bradley is all a part of a larger conspiracy by Eleazar; Vaughn shows the embittered rage that Bradley feels upon learning that he is simply a pawn within a larger scheme.

Is Vince Vaughn a Dramatic Actor Now?

After Brawl in Cell Block 99 was heralded by genre enthusiasts, Vaughn chose to work with Zahler again on the dark cop thriller Dragged Across Concrete. He delivered another haunting performance alongside Mel Gibson as a duo of corrupt police officers who are forced to take part in an illicit heist. Dragged Across Concrete certainly elicited controversy for its depiction of police brutality and race relations, but Vaughn once again proved that he was interested in subversive, challenging material.

Brawl in Cell Block 99 started a new period in Vaughn’s career where he appeared in more genre films. Between playing a slasher in the horror comedy Freaky, a menacing villain in the neo-Western Arkansas, and a corrupt FBI agent in the biopic Seberg, Vaughn has certainly proven that he has more to offer as an actor than The Internship and Couples Retreat. By taking risks on films that may not have gotten the same level of attention without his involvement, Vaughn has become a more interesting actor whose name alone is enough to spark interest in a project.

Brawl in Cell Block 99 is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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