Director: Scott Wiper
Writer: Scott Wiper, Rob Hedden (Screenplay) Andy Hedden (Story)
Starring: Steve Austin, Vinnie Jones, Nathan Jones, Robert Mammone, Tory Mussett, Manu Bennett, Madeleine West, Rick Hoffman, Masa Yamaguchi
Plot: Jack Conrad is awaiting the death penalty in a corrupt Central American prison. He is “purchased” by a wealthy television producer and taken to a desolate island where he must fight to the death against nine other condemned killers from all corners of the world, with freedom going to the sole survivor.
Runtime: 1 Hour 53 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Condemned starts when wealthy television producer Breckel (Mammone) looks to make a bigger impact with his latest show, which will see him buy ten death row inmates from around the world to place on an island, one will earn their freedom by killing the rest.
Jack Conrad (Austin) is picked up last minute as a replacement to join the other murderers, rapists and terrorists including McStarley (Jones), Petr (Jones) and Saiga (Yamaguchi) to name a few. When the game begins, who will make it out alive.
Thoughts on The Condemned
Thoughts – The Condemned is an action thriller that will dive into the new obsession with reality TV, by bring the violent side of human nature, with a blend of what Battle Royale gave us. The last person standing survives. The story is kept pretty simple, with the nine major criminals, while the newest member of the selection has a darker secret as a secret national hero. We will also get to dive into the modern obsession with violence and wanting to see it, with the subscription base for the show, getting a bigger following as the event roles on. This is an enjoyable action film that knows exactly what it wants to be, never holding back on the violence involved, but being aware enough to know it is too much, with characters in the film needing to look away from what they are seeing. The performances from Steve Austin and Vinnie Jones are a lot of fun, with them both enjoying the madness they are allowed to unleash.
Final Thoughts – The Condemned is a mad cap action movie that was before itself time in the bland of violence and reality TV obsession.