The Condemned is primarily one brutal slaying after another...Without a point
Written: Jul 15 '07 (Updated Sep 04 '07)
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Product Rating:
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| Bang For The Buck |
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Pros: Some nice cinematography, Steve Austin is great in this film, Vinnie Jones is fine
Cons: Brutality without a point, absurd message that is supposed to "justify" the violence
The Bottom Line: The Condemned is only for fans of massive carnage who don't give a rat's a$$ about any storyline whatsoever
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| xmovieloverx's Full Review: The Condemned |
Before I begin this review, let me simply state that I didn't have high expectations when renting this flick and later sitting down to watch it. I'm a huge WWE fan and I was thoroughly disgusted with the company's previous films, The Marine (John Cena) and See No Evil. (Kane) However, Stone Cold Steve Austin is my favorite wrestler of all time which quite possibly, is the reason why I respected The Condemned a tiny bit more than the WWE's predecessors.
Stone Cold Steve Austin plays Jack, one of the eight "Condemned", ex-convicts who get thrown into a sick game where they must kill each other off in order to survive. The last man standing will be let free. (Let's all take a minute to ponder the outcome) The twist is, the footage is broadcasted through the internet for the whole world to watch...
Now I adore a brutal blood-fest as much as the next adrenaline rushed guy, however, it has to have a point. The Condemned's message expressed throughout the entire flick is "America wants violence". Um, just because we want violence, doesn't mean people wish to view men and women actually torturing and sometimes raping each other...Live...It's a pitiful excuse for an attempt to deepen the plot.
The action, although brutal and often sadistic, isn't horrible. However, it all gets extremely repetitious due to the lack of any sense of storyline, plot twists, morality, and the fact that the conclusion is painfully predictable. I was sickened by the film's torture sequence as well as its intended rape scene. Prepare for many busted faces, broken limbs and gashed skin. The Condemned really is a nasty piece of work.
On the more positive side, the cinematography is completely respectable. When we aren't seeing gross killings, the camera tends to provide us with shots overviewing the island that this carnage is taking place on. The film does have a nice look to it, it's just to bad that it's plagued with nauseating content.
Here is where The Condemned sparks some really interesting controversy. The acting. Personally, my belief is that you really need to be a fan of the WWE in order to appreciate Steve Austin. Those who have never seen Austin's work or trash talking in the ring, will detest his acting and frequent one-liners. However, Austin fans such as myself will admire him in The Condemned and find much of his lines to be quite amusing and entertaining. The Condemned did have its funny moments, all involving Stone Cold himself. Vinnie Jones was also fine as the main villain, however, some of his dialogue between him and various other characters was cheesy and felt emotionless. Still, he defiantly wasn't horrible.
Now, I've heard that this movie is supposedly a "rip-off" of previous flicks such as Battle Royale and The Running Man, however, I haven't seen either, resulting in the inability for me to compare The Condemned to them.
Overall, if you can ignore the preposterous message in this film and its lack of any plot whatsoever and are just looking for an abundance of brutal violence, then by all means, you'll love The Condemned. However, in my opinion, a flick like this has to include a semi-decent storyline that backs up its tremendous viciousness , which this movie refuses to do.
GRADE: D+
Recommended:
No
Movie Mood: Action Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: A few glitches, but mostly complete.
Worst Part of this Film: Plot
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Epinions.com ID:
xmovieloverx
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Member: Alex
Location: Bellevue, WA, USA
Reviews written: 47
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
I am the one true movie buff.
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