The Condemned poster & wallpaper

Andy McPhee, Christopher Baker, Nathan Jones

The story of Jack Conrad, who 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 ...( read more  read more... )to the death against nine other condemned killers from all corners of the world, with freedom going to the sole survivor. The producer films the illegal event, airing the killings live and uncensored onto the internet.

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64% liked it

17,239 ratings

Critics

16% liked it

95 critics

R, 1 hr. 40 min.

Directed by: Scott Wiper

Release Date: April 27, 2007

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DVD Release Date: September 17, 2007

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Flixster Reviews (6,848)

  • mrpopcorn
    June 26, 2009
    mrpopcorn
    "10 will fight, 9 will die. You get to watch."

    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...( read more) killers from all corners of the world, with freedom going to the sole survivor.

    REVIEW

    From WWE films comes this survival of the fittest picture about ten death row inmates who are transported against their will to a desolate island by an immoral television producer. Once there, they must defend themselves against one another while being broadcast live on the internet in a contest where there can only be one winner. Action movie has an intriguing setup with plenty of intense, hand to hand combat, but after a while it becomes redundant and never really delivers in terms of suspense, character, or steady camera work. Wrestler turned lead actor Austin is laconic and fairly cardboard in his portrayal of a tough, resilient survivor, but he nor the rest of the cast can be faulted for the film's shortcomings.
  • PvtCaboose91
    April 30, 2009
    PvtCaboose91
    Jack Conrad: "You know, I don't know who you are, and I don't care. But I don't play games."

    Ian Breckel: "You don't have to win... but everbody plays."


    There's something moralistically baffling about a balls-to-the-wall action flick that simultane

    ...( read more)ously celebrates violence and scolds an audience for celebrating violence...


    This above sentence refers to The Condemned; a WWE-produced action film helmed by Scott Wiper (A Better Way to Die is another entry to this director's CV). Borrowing heavily from Battle Royale, The Most Dangerous Game and The Running Man, it's apparent that this derivative production won't merit any points for originality. That said, The Condemned is an exploitative and entertaining action film that delivers precisely what any viewer expects: graphic violence, pulse-pounding action, and muscular performers generally beating the absolute crap out of each other. It will never receive any Oscars (or any prestigious awards, for that matter), nor will it be deemed a masterpiece. In addition, this certainly isn't the greatest action flick the industry has to offer (it's a breeding ground for clichés, for instance, and there are too many missteps that prevent it from being anything overly special). However, if you're seeking a straightforward actioner crammed with mindless violence that doesn't pull any punches, then get together a few mates, order pizza, pop open a cold one and enjoy The Condemned.


    WWE wrestler "Stone Cold" (a.k.a. Steven Austin) plays Jack Conrad; an American with a mysterious past who's incarcerated in an El Salvadorian prison. He's granted a reprieve, however, when ambitious reality television producer Ian Breckel (Mammone) selects him as part of his latest project. Ian acquires ten death row inmates from various global prisons and places them on a remote island. These condemned individuals are allotted thirty hours to fight each other to the death. The sole survivor of the bloodbath will be given freedom and sufficient cash to commence a new life. In essence, Breckel's show is reminiscent of the golden days of the Colosseum when gladiators fought to the death as a form of entertainment.

    Meanwhile, as the violence unfolds, the camera-infested island broadcasts the legally questionable carnage across the internet. Anyone in the world willing to pay fifty bucks can witness this live snuff film.


    The Condemned can be easily recommended to action movie connoisseurs. The mayhem is brutal, hard-hitting, entrenched in realism, and (despite a sagging middle act) in abundance. A few interesting action set-pieces make for enjoyable viewing, and the island (photographed in Queensland, Australia) is a great location for the chaos to unfold. Especially during the middle section there's far too much yakking in between the action, and the filmmakers seem to believe the best way to shoot fight scenes is to make them somewhat incomprehensible. The choreography is top-notch (crafted by Australian martial arts legend Richard Norton), but nearly every violent conflict is lensed with shaky, handheld camera...it all appears to be a nauseating blur. We see people pummelling each other, and we occasionally get a sense of who's who, but we usually have to wait for the fight to conclude before we can properly comprehend what actually transpired. The frenetic editing exacerbates this problem by cutting every nanosecond or so. Rectification of this problem was staring the filmmakers in the face: why not utilise the footage Ian Breckel and his team are capturing? Why not show the majority of a battle from the perspective of a paying viewer, watching the carnage from their computer? This'd make the action far more interesting and, honestly, more edifying. Unfortunately, outside of a bar full of Jack Conrad's friends, the film never shows anyone else who paid to watch this internet blood sport.


    Director Scott Wiper, it seems, isn't quite satisfied with helming a mere exploitation film. The Condemned comes armed with a message: consumers love violence. People like the odious Breckel become rich as long as viewers flock to this stuff in droves. Years ago, this may have been considered provocative; today, however, it's trite, and it disastrously decelerates the pace.

    Superfluous subplots also emerge in spades, proving very harmful to the pacing. Breckel's underlings constantly bicker as they are confronted with silly attacks of conscience. There's also a love story between Conrad and a girl back home. This exists purely as a foundation on which to build a corny happy ending. Naturally, the FBI also becomes involved. This addition, however, is shallow. The FBI ultimately does nothing useful. It isn't even properly exploited (imagine the possibilities of an FBI raid of Breckel's island...), therefore coming off as unnecessary.


    Despite the aforementioned criticisms, the film isn't without its upsides. The Condemned remains a fairly enjoyable romp featuring one-liners and action, even if the adrenaline stops pumping for corny chit-chat every so often. Director Wiper has made a commendable creative decision to eschew digital effects and green screen, predominantly employing the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) approach. As a result, the film feels far grittier.


    A majority of the characters are stock personalities hardly developed past the first dimension. Character development doesn't exist beyond demonstrations of a character's fighting ability. It's extremely gruelling to keep up with who's been dispatched and who's still alive due to the congregation of mainly forgettable characters. The only truly memorable characters are Austin's Jack Conrad and Vinnie Jones' Ewan McStarley. Ultimately, after the other cookie-cutters have been eliminated in predictable ways, it's a duel between these two. Their climactic one-on-one conflict, though, is frequently baffling on account of the camera (which experiences an epileptic seizure any time there's an action sequence).


    Steven Austin has a terrific screen presence owing to his hulking appearance. There's little doubt he has potential as a hero, but this is an unsuitable vehicle for the actor. Based on the evidence available here it's difficult to ascertain whether or not he's capable of delivering dialogue - aside from a few conversations (during which he's fairly soft-spoken) he doesn't have much to say.

    Vinnie Jones, as always, is excellent. He's a menacing villain and certainly one of the highlights of this movie. Robert Mammone stars as the selfish reality television producer. He hits all the correct notes and comes across as pretty despicable. Other additions to the cast include Rick Hoffman (remember him from Hostel?), Tory Mussett (appearing under the name of Victoria Mussett), Manu Bennett, Madeleine West, Christopher Baker, Sam Healy, Luke Pegler, Emelia Burns and Dasi Ruz - all providing acceptable support. Most notable, though, is Masa Yamaguchi who seems extremely keen during his fight sequences.


    Perhaps a re-edited version of The Condemned (removing the tedious and superfluous subplots) would accelerate the pacing and allow for more testosterone-fuelled entertainment. At two hours long, this movie is too lengthy and at times too gruelling. It needed a more concise running time, more action and less exposition. But there's still the problem of the camerawork...

    For a film produced by WWE, The Condemned is better than expected...but this remains a faint praise. It's not as cheesy as John Cena's The Marine or as preposterous as Kane's See No Evil, but this had the potential to be a better movie. With a more competent director (as well as a superior cinematographer, for that matter) and a considerable trim, The Condemned could have fulfilled its potential. In the end, however, this picture gets enough right, and it's enjoyable without being too taxing.
  • mistershinobi
    April 5, 2009
    mistershinobi
    A badass version of Battle Royale. I don't know how to say this but, yes: I buy it. I drink this milkshake, I drink it all.

    This is, in fact, an exciting, dumb, fast-paced, intoxicating action flick with lots of fights and explosions, and I like it.

    Of course, I ...( read more)hated when they tried to be all socially aware and tried to shove down our throats some weird, anti-reality message but as long as they remained in the safe, warm place called action-flick-with-wrestlers, it was all good. And it's always a pleasure to see (and hear) Rick Hoffman talk as fast as he can. He's simply hilarious.

    I don't know who the hell is this Steve Austin, but I buy him as an action star. The Rock he ain't.
  • MovieGeek13
    March 19, 2009
    MovieGeek13
    How can you rag on a bad movie that is so in love with its badness?
  • DerekA101
    January 14, 2009
    DerekA101
    Quick Review:
    Not very original, but still very effective and entertaining. I'm not the biggest WWE fan, but I really enjoy Stone Cold and he makes for a great action star. A bit one dimensional... but who cares? It's like an R rated version of the hit Reality Show <...( read more)i>Survivor that we've always wanted to see.

    10 death row convicts are placed on an island, and the last one to survive wins their freedom. Fun, exciting, and definitely action-packed, The Condemned is an awesome guilty pleasure! Watching Vinnie Jones and Stone Cold fight was worth the price of admission.
  • aikyu17
    October 19, 2009
    aikyu17
    After i watched this, whoa! So COOL! then i was searching about these kind of movies, i got Felon. and i love that movie too! the feeling of the crimes are so true, i really love this kind of movie 'prison movie', and i already got 'em all i think.
  • pinkkpassion
    October 17, 2009
    pinkkpassion
    I loved this show. The ending was brilliant! And to all those men who think they can hit their women, you seriously need to watch this show and pay attention to the ending and have another think LOL
  • vinayaou
    October 15, 2009
    vinayaou
    a must watch for all the gamers n those who ove war games!






  • jvserg
    October 13, 2009
    jvserg
    Add a review (optional)...
  • TheSlowJoker
    October 12, 2009
    TheSlowJoker
    this movie was awesome, wasnt the best based on the storyline because overall the story was pretty basic, but what i liked so much about it was the action and the slap stick humour from stone colds character and all the way through the movie he played the i couldnt give a shit a...( read more)ttitude towards anything that was going on

    vinnie jones was at his best in this movie he really suites playing characters in movies like these and i hope to see him in more movies like this as well as stone cold

View All The Condemned Reviews

Critic Reviews

April 27, 2007
Claudia Puig, USA Today

If you thought getting voted off the island on Survivor was tough, The Condemned takes that concept as ridiculously and hideously far as can be imagined. full review

April 27, 2007
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

You have to love an anti-violence movie that has as its slogan, "10 people will fight. 9 people will die. You get to watch." Hypocrisy in and of itself isn't amusing, but when it's on this grand a sca... full review

April 27, 2007
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Condemn it to obscurity if you can. full review

April 27, 2007
Pete Hammond, Maxim

It packs enough red-hot fiery action for six movies. The fact that it makes some suprisingly ironic and pertinent points about extreme violence as entertainment gives it the kind of gravitas blood & g... full review

April 26, 2007
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

The film presents its pulp cruelty without irony, and that lack of anesthetic distancing makes its sadism genuinely reprehensible. full review

View more The Condemned reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • gaaragetinmywayandillkillyou
    April 5, 2008
    gaaragetinmywayandillkillyou
    this film rocked steve austin was awesome
  • volleyballcutie214
    November 25, 2007
    volleyballcutie214
    when you came to raw 2 weeks ago and threw beer all over santino and maria i started laughing!!!
    i think your so cool!!

    luv WWE #1 fan
  • TheCreativityMaster
    November 21, 2007
    TheCreativityMaster
    Man, this is a good movie.
  • mrsqmarty13
    November 14, 2007
    mrsqmarty13
    **The Glass Breaks** I Love Steve Austin!! He was great in this movie. Totally worthwhile....
  • nadataufik
    October 21, 2007
    nadataufik
    The good movies, I love the story and the dialog that makes people's could learn from this movie. This movie ask all the people's to think whether war or make it peace!!!
  • lollysthebest
    October 10, 2007
    lollysthebest
    hey i'm a gal from the aussie,
    although not sure if it will be released in aus. just like to say one of the actress in this movie had her first debut and was awesome she played Yasantwa is awesome :D.
    peace out
    mystery
  • bioye4u2luv
    September 22, 2007
    bioye4u2luv
    i do like to watch this movie on and on and on and on. what an interesting movie
  • chrismid259
    September 9, 2007
    chrismid259
    I can only find a DVD release on Region 1 at the moment. So it looks like Australia will be waiting as far as I can see. Was the film ever released in Cinemas in Australia?
  • hydeesangel
    August 21, 2007
    hydeesangel
    Hi i live in austraila i was wondering if the dvd is out here yet if anyone know plz let me know by massage or comment thx
  • paullenkic
    July 19, 2007
    paullenkic
    The Region 1 DVD release date is September 18th.
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The Condemned Trivia

  • Who is the main character in The Condemned?  Answer »
  • Which Former WWE Wrestler Appears In Both These Films? The Condemned. Longest Yard.  Answer »
  • Former WWE Star Kevin Nash Has Appeared In All Of These Movies Except One? Which Is It?  Answer »
  • Whatprison is Jack Conrad in [ The Condemned ] ?  Answer »
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