Brawl in Cell Block 99

Better known for his funny-man roles, Vince Vaughn is deadly serious here as Bradley, an expectant father forced by unfortunate circumstances into a maximum-security prison where he must commit murder to save his family. Director S Craig Zahler's follow-up to chase western Bone Tomahawk starts out as a sombre drama, but quickly shifts gear into a grim, ultra-violent thriller where no limb is left unmangled. The grittiness can be overwhelming at times, as the extreme circumstances our hero finds himself in can feel downright disturbing. If you have the stomach, however, there's a revelatory performance from Vaughn beneath all the bloodshed. A master class in controlled rage, he's the beating heart of the story and the reason it is so affecting. Don Johnson is not quite as subtle, but no less menacing, as his sadistic warden. While the film may revel in its unpleasantness a little too often, Brawl in Cell Block 99's transformative star is worth the price of admission alone.