Parents' Guide to

Brawl in Cell Block 99

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Hideous, graphic violence in prison horror story.

Movie NR 2017 121 minutes
Brawl in Cell Block 99 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 16+

Based on 6 parent reviews

age 16+

Protect them At Any Cost

Love Vaughn and his sense of humor. Great movie about doing what you have to do, to take care of your family, at any cost. Its a must see in my opinion.

This title has:

Great messages
age 13+

this is PG-13

My favorite movie, but its kinda violent.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (2):

At best, the tone of Brawl in Cell Block 99, with its unrelenting brutality and over-the-top violence, is confusing. The laughably-choreographed fake fight scenes, implausible plot turns, and unrelenting violence suggest that director-writer S. Craig Zahler (he also made Dragged Across Concrete and the cannibal-horror-Western Bone Tomahawk) is one odd dude. But there's no doubt that he's also a capable filmmaker. While the movie goes far off the rails plot-wise in its final 45-minutes -- presenting Bradley as a nearly super-human physical wrecking ball -- the film is sometimes a strangely-absorbing mishmash of goodness and badness. Vaughn's shaved head, featuring a cross tattoo, matches his grim, unflinching facial expression. In any case, this is not for the faint-hearted. Only true worshippers of violent fare will be able to watch scenes that verge on the horror genre.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate