Cert 18 132mins Stars 4

With a pitch black tone, bleak social commentary, dark humour and ferocious violence, this action thriller is gripping, brutal and nasty entertainment.

It centres on a brilliantly weighted performance which is also the finest career gear change of the year.

Back in 1996 Swingers was a small indie hit and breakout movie for Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau.

The latter moved into directing blockbusters such as Marvel’s Iron man and Disney’s recent reboot of The Jungle Book.

Meanwhile Vaughn squandered his talent and audience goodwill by clowning around in a series of mostly terrible comedies.

Now bald and tattooed, Vaughn is magnificent in this powerhouse prison punch up.

He’s enough of an actor to suggest a conscience to his convicted drug mule, and at a beefy 6’4″, sufficiently imposing to make a convincing hard man.

The strong character work keeps us hooked through the lengthy slow burn until the blistering bone breaking, brain beating brawl breaks out.