A former boxer-turned-drug runner finds himself in a gunfight between the police and his own ruthless allies. When the smoke clears, he is badly hurt and thrown in prison, where his enemies force him to commit acts of violence that turn the place into a savage battleground.

Vince Vaughn bedient sich in diesem Gefängnis-Noir aufs Imposanteste seiner körperlichen Wucht und liefert eine bedrohlich-intensive Performance. Brawl in Cell Block 99 entfaltet sich auf eine methodische, gradlinige Art, die einem John Carpenter alle Ehre machen würde.