'Brawl In Cell Block 99': Vince Vaughn & Don Johnson Interview

In “Brawl in Cell Bock 99Vince Vaughn plays Bradley Thomas. With a cross tattooed on the back of his skull, and impressively added muscle tissue to his physique, Vaughn’s transformation is a harrowing but impressive feat for the 47-year-old actor best known for his comedic roles in “Old School” and “Wedding Crashers.”

Bradley, the violent, but honorable man he plays in the film is sentenced to seven years for selling drugs, and is then blackmailed by none other than 72-year-old Udo Kier, and is forced to cause as much damage as possible to get transferred to the incarceration hell that is “Red Leaf.” The warden of that prison is played by none other than Don Johnson who runs the place like a psycho bent on behavioral punishment. Once there, Bradley has to put himself in cell block 99 where he will have to kill a gangster in order to protect his kidnapped wife (Jennifer Carpenter) and unborn daughter.

It’s all from the twisted mind of writer-director S. Craig Zahler whose “Bone Tomahawk” came and went in cinemas but gained cult classic status on home video and is now considered a western classic. His “Brawl in Cell Block 99” is destined for cult fame too. It’s a 132-minute gut punch which wears its ’70s grindhouse-inspired heart on its sleeve. The movie takes its time building up the character and letting us learn about what’s at stake for Bradley, and it’s not until the 75-minute mark that things start to shift into midnight-madness mayhem. Zahler is a step ahead at every twisted turn and when the first bone breaks, and he makes sure you hear it loud and clear. The action has a relentless feel that never stops, and it’s all anchored by Vaughn’s ruthless but endearing performance.

First premiering at Venice, then rolling into TIFF, and now playing Fantastic Fest, we caught up with Vaughn and Johnson in Toronto to talk about the film.

Brawl-In-Cell-Block-99-Vince-VaughnI just love this movie and how it builds and builds and builds and builds. I know yesterday’s premiere was an incredible success, but how was it compared to the Venice and the tuxedoed audience?

Vince Vaughn: Well, Venice had a 14-minute standing ovation. They loved the movie. Last night I felt the response was tremendous, you know, where the movie finally kicks in and when I say kick I literally mean kicks in, when Bradley goes on the offensive, I felt the response was identical. When you spend time with the characters and when you’re invested, you’re connected, so that when those turns happen they’re more meaningful for you. Both crowds were just tremendous.

I’m sure they were still two very different crowds

VV: Two very different crowds, but, again, they were screaming and applauding in Venice and the same here. It’s the fun of seeing movies with people, it’s that group feeling.

It’s an experience, especially when you can feel every bone-crunching. How was it working with Craig?

Don Johnson: He’s truly just a remarkable guy, in that he’s low-key. In my experience, Craig is a problem-solver and he directs in such a precise and exacting way. I mean, there are some shots in the movie where we did a single take on something that I thought we could probably use some coverage on that and then he’d go, “Thanks very much that’s a wrap,” and I’d be like “We’re moving on?” It’s bliss for an actor to be able to play a scene with somebody in the same frame and not have all of this cutting. His sense of confidence about the story that he’s telling and how he needs to tell it, there’s a great freedom in it. It’s a safe space to know that you have trust and faith in this director and that he’s getting what he wants, that he’s telling the story that he wants. That’s a gift for actors, to have that kind of freedom. You’ll never hear him once say, “Could you pick it up a little bit?” It seems like for the first 40 years of my career all I heard from directors was “Ok, let’s try to pick up the pace a little.”

With this and “Bone Tomahawk” we have a new cinematic voice in our hands. While watching this movie, did you guys notice anything that you didn’t expect to be in the movie?

VV: I am surprised by something every time I watch this movie. There’s so much there, so much to look at. The reactions are always interesting. They, the audience, get the tone. What Craig does is very earnest in places, there’s always a relationship you’re rooting for, but there are moments when the storyline is colliding, where you have the abortionist in the car and Udo and there’s soul music playing and the combination of all of it is fun. But then you have these other scenes where they are more provocative, so I think what he does tonally is quite remarkable.

DJ: The opening scene of the movie, Vince pulls in with the tow truck, there are people standing there and they’re standing there and you see the anticipation, somebody knows something that the other doesn’t and they’re just standing there and there’s a chick in the background eating a banana and I’m just like “that’s a stroke of genius.” It’s one of those moments where you’re like I’ve never seen that before. I’ve seen guys being fired before on-screen, but I’ve never seen something staged like that before.

VV: With somebody in the background eating a banana.

DJ: Yeah, eating a banana very slowly.