The Condemned (2007) Movie Review: Steve Austin

The Condemned (2007) with Steve Austin: Violent actioner wants to appeal to the same type of crowd that helped to turn bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger and martial artist Jean-Claude Van Damme into movie stars.

The Condemned (2007) movie review summary: Should violence be denounced or glorified? This grade Z Steve Austin actioner wants to have it both ways.

The Condemned (2007) movie review: Pornographically violent Steve Austin action thriller is cinema at its very worst

In The Condemned, wrestler Steve Austin is one of several clumsy death row inmates who spend their free time taking ballet lessons. Well, joke.

A few months after World Wrestling Entertainment gave pro wrestlers Kane and John Cena a chance at showing off their fighting skills in, respectively, See No Evil and The Marine, comes Steve Austin’s turn to deliver his best holds and throws on the big screen.

Set somewhere in Central America, The Condemned stars Austin as one of ten death row inmates who get a shot at freedom if they participate in a deadly game on a remote island. The rules are fairly simple: The contestants are wired with explosives and must battle each other to death; the last man standing wins.

The concept of the game was developed by a ruthless millionaire (Robert Mammone) who, after being turned down by all major television networks, decides to broadcast the spectacle live on the Web. His goal is to top the Super Bowl and attract more than 40 million subscribers.

Cinematic hypocrisy

Undoubtedly the worst of the WWE movies thus far released, The Condemned borrows most of its ideas from Kinji Fukasaku’s smash hit Battle Royale, a bloody thriller in which a group of government-selected Japanese ninth-graders are given three days to kill each other on an island.

But whereas the original delivers an ingenious message – set at a time when civilization is falling to pieces – director-writer Scott Wiper and co-screenwriter Rob Hedden’s actioner commits an inexcusable crime: They hypocritically denounce violence while glorifying it.

Their movie wallows in brutal scenes of rape and torture that are excruciating to watch; one horrific moment toward the end features one of the players executing about a dozen TV crew members for the sole purpose of provoking audience revulsion.

Keep wrestling in the ring

Unsurprisingly, the narrative is primitive and predictable. In fact, a close look at the movie’s official poster makes it easy to guess who will walk out of the game alive.

Compounding matters, the fast-paced action and editing are so repetitive they add virtually nothing to the proceedings. And since fighting each other to death doesn’t require any acting skills, The Condemned has no actors.

In sum, The Condemned is a perfect example of inept filmmaking even if it ultimately delivers a commendable message: Wrestling should stay inside the ring.

The Condemned (2007) cast & crew
Director: Scott Wiper
Screenplay: Scott Wiper & Rob Hedden
Screen Story: Scott Wiper, Rob Hedden & Andy Hedden
Cast: Steve Austin. Vinnie Jones. Rick Hoffman. Robert Mammone. Tory Mussett. Manu Bennett. Madeleine West. Rick Hoffman.

“The Condemned (2007) Movie Review: Steve Austin” review text © Franck Tabouring; excerpt, image captions, bulleted introduction, and notes © Alt Film Guide.

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