"The Condemned" has a very straightforward plot. It tells the story of John Conrad (Stone Cold Steve Austin) who is purchased from a Central American prison. The buyer is a TV producer named Ian Breckel who has purchased 9 others just like Conrad; mass murders who are awaiting death penalties in their respective prisons. Breckel has the idea to transport these 10 "contestants" to an island near New Guinea where they will fight to the death, the last remaining person after 30 hours will be set free. But there are catches, all contestants have an ankle brace that carries multiple C4 bombs that will explode if the tag is pulled out or if the 30 hour time limit is up and not 9 other contestants are dead.
That might sound entertaining, and it is. The film is filled with brutal violence that you can't feel guilty about. Another positive is that it doesn't try to become smart, it stays at it's level and never drifts away from it's unoriginal plot. The last positive is, surprisingly,Steve Austin is not half bad as the star. Despite being a wrestler with no movie talent, he says as much dialogue as Clint Eastwood in "Dirty Harry" and the majority of his time on screen is him fighting other opponents. I can also say he is much better than John Cena in "The Marine." Unfortunately, there are undeniable negatives. Including the entertaining violence getting uncontrollably repetitive, the abrupt ending, and the everything that happens outside of the violence. Whenever the film cuts to the audience or the people running the show, the film slows down. (That is the perfect time to go to the bathroom).
If you were going to see this film, wait till DVD. It may look interesting, but it's not. It just keeps rambling on with violence and gore and the film never goes higher than an ATTEMPT to make a decent film. When the film begins, the WWE films logo comes up and that right there brings it down a few notches, and the negative elements don't help it's cause.
6/10
That might sound entertaining, and it is. The film is filled with brutal violence that you can't feel guilty about. Another positive is that it doesn't try to become smart, it stays at it's level and never drifts away from it's unoriginal plot. The last positive is, surprisingly,Steve Austin is not half bad as the star. Despite being a wrestler with no movie talent, he says as much dialogue as Clint Eastwood in "Dirty Harry" and the majority of his time on screen is him fighting other opponents. I can also say he is much better than John Cena in "The Marine." Unfortunately, there are undeniable negatives. Including the entertaining violence getting uncontrollably repetitive, the abrupt ending, and the everything that happens outside of the violence. Whenever the film cuts to the audience or the people running the show, the film slows down. (That is the perfect time to go to the bathroom).
If you were going to see this film, wait till DVD. It may look interesting, but it's not. It just keeps rambling on with violence and gore and the film never goes higher than an ATTEMPT to make a decent film. When the film begins, the WWE films logo comes up and that right there brings it down a few notches, and the negative elements don't help it's cause.
6/10