Critic Reviews
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Mark Holcomb, Time Out New York
The Condemned sprays its fury wide: media manipulators, political opportunists and technology-pacified couch potatoes are among the collaterally damaged. Paying audiences don't get off so easy either.
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Marc Bernardin, Entertainment Weekly
Cheesy enough to satisfy your B-movie cravings in half Grindhouse's running time.
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Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
This is a fast-paced, well-made piece of garbage.
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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.
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Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
While rather preposterously hypocritical in its moral pretensions, it nevertheless comes through in the no-holds-barred, body-slam department.
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Ted Fry, Seattle Times
[You'd be] better off waiting for the DVD to enjoy this torpid turkey, which is probably how it should have debuted anyway.
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Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
There's nothing wrong with enjoying a balls to the wall guy film where muscle bound behemoths blow shit up and fight to the death...
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Tim Grierson, Screendaily
An action film about a hyper-violent reality contest that quickly devolves into a monotonous series of hand-to-hand combat scenes.
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Jeff Bayer, The Scorecard Review
The film even attempts to make moral judgments about how watching a fight to the death is wrong, which ends up alienating anybody that sat their butt down in the theater in the first place.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...Scott Wiper's hopelessly inept directorial choices - coupled with an overall vibe of ugliness - ensures that the movie ultimately fares about as well as its straight-to-video action brethren...
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Steven Snyder, Zertinet Movies
What a base, and baseless, film this is.
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Zack Haddad, Film Threat
Don't look to glean too much from it other than a few cool fight scenes and some funny one-liners.
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Adam Fendelman, HollywoodChicago.com
This is why wrestlers wrestle and actors act.
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Stax, IGN Movies
The Condemned tries to have its cake and eat it, too, alternately between a preachy scene about the depravity of reality entertainment followed by sequences of remorseless carnage, such as when Vinnie Jones guns down a roomful of unarmed people in cold bl
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Linda Cook, Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
Designed to make you cringe from its violent scenes, "The Condemned" is a paradox of a movie.Its sole purpose is to depict people killing, torturing and raping each other. And yet it contains a preachy theme about the kinds of people who would pay to watc
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Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters
Where's Richard Dawson when you need him?
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Eric Lurio, Greenwich Village Gazette
Attacking the intended audience is one of those things that a filmmaker just doesn't do. Jeez!
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Blake French, Filmcritic.com
if you're going to make a movie like this... do it right. Don't complicate things. Keep it simple, bloody, and stupid.
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Michelle Alexandria, Eclipse Magazine
I was looking for a movie like this. An over the top cheesy action film. What?! I said I've been seeing a lot of overly serious movies lately. What?! Its summer, I want to see stuff get blown up. What?!
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Kevin A. Ranson, MovieCrypt.com
If you're going to promise audiences a death match, pony up a real budget instead of padding your plot to make us feel guilty for watching it.
Read all 24 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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far more fun than it shouldve been!!
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Well what have we here, an early 'Expendables' type fighter? a 'Battle Royale' copy? or maybe just a 'Running Man' type thriller? well all this and many more films gone before.
The plot...a group of the most violent criminals are hand picked and dumped… More
Well what have we here, an early 'Expendables' type fighter? a 'Battle Royale' copy? or maybe just a 'Running Man' type thriller? well all this and many more films gone before.
The plot...a group of the most violent criminals are hand picked and dumped on a remote island. Each has a small bomb attached to their ankle which will detonate after a certain time limit. They have nothing but their skills to survive and the odd package dropped from a chopper. Only one can be left standing before the time runs out and that last man wins his freedom, FIGHT!!!.
So yes I think we have all seen this before, the general idea, and one can assume it will pretty much be like all the rest. It is a bit like a cheaper, low key, grittier 'Expendables' but with guys that aren't overly famous but a good selection of character hardmen and fighters of you will. Vinnie Jones, Nathan Jones and Austin are the bigger names here whilst other criminals are made up of really well built blokes and some good fighters like Masa Yamaguchi. Of course the plot isn't like the Sly vehicle but it is a nice ensemble of hardasses.
The whole film plays out like one setup after another, one fight, a bit of plot, then another fight etc...The fights vary from pretty cool to nothing much but its all very violent and bloody, not for the PG crowd that's for sure. All the characters have your standard backgrounds, the hero Austin is of course ex-Delta Force whilst Vinnie is ex-SAS gone bad, bog standard military guff really. All the while its watched by the internet crew and their boss who set it all up for profit and morbid kicks...tut tut so naughty.
It does work well really, can't lie, its good fun to watch but obviously stupid. Would they really include women? surely that would be rather unfair. The violence in some parts is quite close to bone really, Vinnie and his partner rape a women to death then find her husband (also a criminal) and burn him to death after beating him half to death!! so yeah bit sick.
You could say its even like 'Call of Duty' or any FPS, but with bloody murder and fights instead of gun runnin'. When the odd help package is dropped into the 'game' it does feel like a videogame of sorts.
Its certainly balls to the wall with guts n headbutts and the perfect action vehicle. Nothing original and no real surprises other than Vinnie being really quite evil, but its undeniably fun despite Austin being a plank and the ending being a big anti climax for the two main guys.
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The only explanation i could give to someone as to why i rented this movie when i was 17 is that i was a very stupid teenager. and now im in my 20's and i rent a little more importantly subversive, abstractly concrete, diversifyingly... uh, diverse films... like John Tucker must… More
The only explanation i could give to someone as to why i rented this movie when i was 17 is that i was a very stupid teenager. and now im in my 20's and i rent a little more importantly subversive, abstractly concrete, diversifyingly... uh, diverse films... like John Tucker must die.. and suff.
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No, it's not good at all and very amateurish in nature, but the fact that it's Vinnie Jones vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin is worth the entire movie. There's a lot of violence, one-liners, etc. You should know what you're getting into before you watch it, expecting a… More
No, it's not good at all and very amateurish in nature, but the fact that it's Vinnie Jones vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin is worth the entire movie. There's a lot of violence, one-liners, etc. You should know what you're getting into before you watch it, expecting a masterpiece would be stupid. I actually would have liked an all villain cast, that way there's no typical good guy to root for. However, I understand that it was made to promote WWE and Mr. Stone Cold.
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A real stone cold adrenaline-rush of an action movie. It's The Running man meets Lost. A hard-core and exhilarating action-packed thriller that is just a really fun movie to watch. It's very effective and entertaining with great characters and a pretty solid story with a… More
A real stone cold adrenaline-rush of an action movie. It's The Running man meets Lost. A hard-core and exhilarating action-packed thriller that is just a really fun movie to watch. It's very effective and entertaining with great characters and a pretty solid story with a satisfying conclusion. A hard-boiled thrill-ride that packs serious heat and some surprising heart deep down in it's cold attitude. Steve Austin is a surprising joy to watch on film and proves to be a very capable and entertaining action hero. Vinnie Jones is electric, he's just a blast of chaos and mad man energy to show he's an awesome bad guy.
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Great Movie! Just saw it for the second time and was just like the first time, tons of action and a good story.
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… More
Great Movie! Just saw it for the second time and was just like the first time, tons of action and a good story.
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 to the death against nine other condemned killers from all corners of the world, with freedom going to the sole survivor.
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Delivers on the action/adventure part of it, in a big way! But, it lacks with story!
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I was very impressed. Good old elimination action. Pretty much the same idea like Death Race but in a diffrent environment. But it was a lot better than i expected
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<i>"10 will fight, 9 will die. You get to watch."</i>
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… More
<i>"10 will fight, 9 will die. You get to watch."</i>
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.
<center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center>
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.
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How can you rag on a bad movie that is so in love with its badness?
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<u>Quick Review</u>:<br>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… More
<u>Quick Review</u>:<br>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 <i>Survivor</i> that we've always wanted to see.<p>10 death row convicts are placed on an island, and the last one to survive wins their freedom. Fun, exciting, and definitely action-packed, <i>The Condemned</i> is an awesome guilty pleasure! Watching Vinnie Jones and Stone Cold fight was worth the price of admission.
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A pretty decent if violent action film with backing from the WWE. The story is pretty good, although it starts to get a bit repetitive as it goes on. Reminded me slightly of the Running Man. Overall a lot better than I expected and Vinnie Jones is good as the bad guy, as always.
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Not bad <u>for a WWE movie</u>, McMahon releases a few of its entertainment-management techniques in the big screen. <br><br>I thought this would be somewhat corny, despite the camera shots in the fight scenes, I still kinda liked this. Wouldnt really have… More
Not bad <u>for a WWE movie</u>, McMahon releases a few of its entertainment-management techniques in the big screen. <br><br>I thought this would be somewhat corny, despite the camera shots in the fight scenes, I still kinda liked this. Wouldnt really have watched this if it wasnt for the interesting combination of Vinnie Jones and Austin anyway.
<b>Plot</b>: An adrenalin-charged action thriller, "The Condemned" tells 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 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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This is what it is. I think you'd already know whether or not you'd like a movie like this. I, personally, do. The action sequences display great panache and make up for a couple of REALLY DUMB plot devices, the most significant of which is Stone Cold's origins. The… More
This is what it is. I think you'd already know whether or not you'd like a movie like this. I, personally, do. The action sequences display great panache and make up for a couple of REALLY DUMB plot devices, the most significant of which is Stone Cold's origins. The worst thing about this movie was the ham-fisted way they showed the broadcast going out, as well as the clumsy and utterly blatant commentary of reality TV. All things considered, this movie comes out pretty well. It's no way near as good as Battle Royale, but there you go.
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This is a fast-paced,violent film if you like that sort of thing
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It seems very good action movie of a WWF champ 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's debut acting. So thrilling and dangerously of 10 death row prisoners fight each other for the last man standing to survive. It's a part of <i>The Running Man</i> and… More
It seems very good action movie of a WWF champ 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's debut acting. So thrilling and dangerously of 10 death row prisoners fight each other for the last man standing to survive. It's a part of <i>The Running Man</i> and <i>Hard Target</i>.
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Another wrestling influenced movie, this time bringing Steve Austin int the mix and the hero caught up in a sick internet live game where a 10 "lifers" are dragged to island and given the chance to escape. They only have to kill the others within 30 hours as part of an idiot… More
Another wrestling influenced movie, this time bringing Steve Austin int the mix and the hero caught up in a sick internet live game where a 10 "lifers" are dragged to island and given the chance to escape. They only have to kill the others within 30 hours as part of an idiot producers idea of bringing live death and violence to the net to reap the rewards.
Another throw back to the good ole early 90's action flicks of heavy unrestricted violence, the action was OKAAY... nothing to special. The story is not unique, but twisted to meet modern day themes and ideas. Interesting but also tired soundtrack (old songs)
Look, wrestlers are popping up in the movies and action flicks are always welcome, but these guys cant really act, and Austin sounds like a soft redneck. Goldberg at least has an deep evil rasp and gives off a more menacing aura.
It was okay as a one off, nothing more.
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Finally! Out of the THREE WWE Movies, one of them steps up to the plate, and actually proves itself movie worthy. Steve Austin kicked major ass, and this film was intense! It's the best film I've seen in a few months, for sure.
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I could have done without the social messages about "entertainment" and the evil of money but overall it was an entertaining time filler. Not as good as WWE's other films, See No Evil and The Marine but decent.
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I am surprised at how much I didn't dislike this film. By no means original, it had far more to say and do than one would suspect, with some nice satire on television production and media culture. No one performance was cringe-worthy. And it wasn't nearly as brutal as… More
I am surprised at how much I didn't dislike this film. By no means original, it had far more to say and do than one would suspect, with some nice satire on television production and media culture. No one performance was cringe-worthy. And it wasn't nearly as brutal as they had suggested. A not bad little time waster.
Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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