Dragged Across Concrete - 4/5

This movie is not quite as brutal as S. Craig Zahler’s other films, but only because it’s an extremely high bar. There is more of a sense in this one of an unpredictable plot that takes many riveting twists and turns before reaching its surprising conclusion. It’s a taut thriller with palpable characters that pull on the audience’s heart strings and make for a tense, melancholy climax.

Content warning: female nudity, gore

Closest comparison: It’s like The Town by way of Brawl in Cell Block 99

Setting: Buddy Cop
Plot: Buddy Cop
Tone: Crime Thriller

Blade (1998) - 3/5

This is a solid super hero movie, but since it was blazing a new trail at the time it takes a few missteps along the way. The action is pretty good and the blood sprinkler opening scene is low-key iconic. Still, there are several bad story choices and the finale is mostly underwhelming. There’s plenty of entertainment to be had here, but don’t look too deep.

Content warning: bloody

Closest comparison: It’s like Batman Forever by way of The Matrix, with vampires.

Setting: Post-Noir Goth
Plot: Super Hero
Tone: Action Horror

Brawl in Cell Block 99 - 4/5

This is one of those movies that is really good and I can’t recommend it. It’s too brutal, too heavy, and too real for most people to enjoy, but it’s so viscerally poignant that if you can stomach the content you owe it to yourself to watch. It’s another ‘crying for the state of the world’-type films, not the action-style prison break movies that make up the rest of this sub-genre, and it’s executed in a somber brutal realism that shows the deep respect the filmmakers have for the subject matter.

Content warning: abortion, brutal violence

Closest comparison: It’s like Wind River, but for abortion instead of sexual assault.

Setting: Crime / Prison
Plot: Hard Times / Action
Tone: Slow Burn / Brutal