Review of The Condemned (2007) by Jack C — 19 Aug 2008

How many of you have wondered what it would be like to get 10 of the world's most dangerous criminals, put them on an island covered in cameras, and then watch them fight each other to the death for a shot at their freedom? I know I certainly have and for years I've been patiently waiting for Hollywood to play catch up.

Now thanks to WWE Films, we have "The Condemned" a film that is essentially "Battle Royale" but with psychotic adults instead of kids. The Texas rattlesnake himself, Stone Cold Steve Austin finally lands the lead role we've all been waiting for and plays it great.

It's a character that he's been playing in the squared circle for years and transferred onto the big screen it works great. He's got charisma and a great screen presence, add to that some wicked funny lines, he puts in a great performance.

Along side him is football hardman turned Hollywood superstar, Vinnie "I'm the Juggernaut bitch" Jones. Spitting out his lines like they were a poorly cooked piece of turkey, Jones is venomous in his role of psycho criminal.

With his unique cockney drawl he manages to evoke a lot of comedy from otherwise quite horrid dialogue. The interplay between him and Stone Cold is great to watch and makes this film a lot of fun. It has a lot of bloody violence and for a modest budget, it does extremely well.

Director Scott Wiper makes the most of his money and really gets some great looking scenes out of this film. It's over-the-top violence that revels in itself and that is something to be admired. Great fun and a good film to watch with the lads, "The Condemned" is a sign that WWE Films knows how to make films for the masses.

Bring on the next batch!