The Flea Pit

By: Justin Shalitis

S. Craig Zahler’s films have been able to do what so few filmmakers have done (except Quintin Tarantino and Panos Cosmatos to name a couple), he has been able to mix pulpy, low-brow “trash” cinema and combined it with arthouse sensibilities resulting in films which feel fresh, uncompromising and authentic. The violence of his films set him apart from even the likes of Tarantino by indulging in the surreal and the visceral in a manner that resembles the body horror of David Cronenberg and the shock filmmaking of early Gaspar Noe.

S. Craig Zahler has only made 3 films up to this point but he has amassed a very loyal underground following of fervent film fans (including Myself).

Here is a ranked list of his films so far…

3: Dragged Across Concrete

Let me start by saying that all of his films are in my top 50 favorite films ever made. However, if I were to pick out the weakest one of the bunch, I would choose his most recent film “Dragged Across Concrete”. Everything here is in top form including performances, storytelling, direction and writing.

This is arguably his most meditative and most technically impressive film to date. We follow 3 characters, two disgruntled police officers who are trying to score big after a major scandal and a career criminal who is looking to make a better life for his mother and little brother. All 3 characters have interlinked motivations and seemingly find themselves on a crash course culminating in a terrifyingly thrilling climax. However, what sets this one back slightly is the characters. The characters in this film are very interesting but unlike the other two S. Craig Zahler films, we hardly get enough time to truly know these people. That being said, everything else about this film is incredible and should be seen by serious film fans.

2: Bone Tomahawk

One of the greatest hybrid films I’ve ever seen. It’s if “The Magnificent Seven” was to be written and directed by Tobe Hooper. The mix between the horror genre and western genre formed a special alchemy which created movie magic. One of the best debuts to come out in recent memory from a filmmaker, “Bone Tomahawk” is a western which imagines a landscape haunted by cannibalistic tribes hellbent on destroying the world around it. It’s an ensemble piece which slowly descends into a nightmare of hellish proportions.

Everything from the direction, performances, costume design and characters are all in top form. Arguably his best written film to date which showcases S. Craig Zahler’s biggest strength in western writing and hides his weakness in pulpy crime writing (sometimes he tend to pontificate too much I find). The tension is palpable, the stakes are high and the characters are all defined clearly enough for us to get to know them quite well within the 2 hour runtime. Warning though, this film is not for the faint of heart and should be approached with some caution if you find trouble stomaching extreme violence. Otherwise, a near-perfect film.

1: Brawl In Cell Block 99

S. Craig Zahler’s “Masterpiece”. A film that combines S. Craig Zahler’s biggest strengths and maximizes them to their fullest potential. This is a film which wastes no time in telling it’s story and telling it with perfection.

We follow central character “Bradley Thomas”, a man with a dangerous past who struggles to make ends meet and becomes a drug runner to make a better life for himself and his family. However, when during a botched job, he decides to try to do what is right in that situation, he is punished for it and has to meet his consequences in prison. Unfortunately, prison isn’t the worst hell he has to endure, he must fight and kill his way to cell block 99 in a maximum security prison to kill a man his boss wants dead in order to save his wife and unborn child. However, this descent into the worst prison imaginable is comparable to the story of Dante descending deeper into hell. It begs the question, how far will you go to protect the ones you love?

Direction, performances, action and the central character of Bradley Thomas played perfectly by Vince Vaughn creates an unforgettable film experience that must be experienced by all true film fans. The violence in the film tells a story of just how painful this journey is in protecting his family and how much suffering will have to be endured to save their lives. This might be the only film from S. Craig Zahler so far to actually make me tear up by the very end which given how pulpy this film is, I’d say that is quite an achievement.