Death has been a form of entertainment for centuries. The Romans had the Colosseum, the French had the guillotine and how often have you heard the words ‘public’ and ‘execution’ in the same sentence. Reality TV shows have become part of a staple TV schedule with popular shows like Big Brother and Survivor, in which contestants are forced to strategise and perform their way to victory. The Condemned takes a page from history and a page from your local TV magazine as ten condemned internationals fight to the death on an island as part of a live 30 hour Internet broadcast in the name of entertainment. We all imagine it as the next step in entertainment and The Condemned tries to satisfy our curiosity.
The movie could easily become a ‘what if’ TV series, but makes a solid action thriller. It’s been slated as a remake of Batoru rowaiaru (Battle Royale), a controversial film about school children under similar circumstances. However, the film isn’t a remake and parallels with a number of film and TV predecessors. When it comes to movies about TV shows with a ‘kill or die’ premise you can’t miss Series 7: The Contenders. The movie also deals with this morbid fascination, except it takes place in an urban setting rather than the jungle. TV shows like Lost and Survivor have strong connections with the setting and the strategy/politics dynamic. The Condemned harvests characters that are reminiscent of Con Air and the chaotic island of terror has echoes of Jurassic Park. The Condemned could be accused of pulling strands from any of these movies and television shows.
Steve Austin and Vinnie Jones headline a cast of unfamiliar faces. These guys are the kind of celebrities that cross borders. Austin is a wrestling superstar-turn-actor and Jones has established himself as an actor after a prolific football career. Their sporting backgrounds add to the element of the game. The Predator type hunt is exciting and allows for plenty of action. Air drop some weapons and you’ve got yourself a blood bath. To keep the age restriction down, the film-makers cleverly integrated the concept of explosive GPS trackers on the contestants legs. This made it seem like a lethal game of tag and also diluted the extreme violence. The Condemned is definitely not for everyone and the emphasis on death and violence is condensed. The plot is fairly simple once they’ve introduced all the contestants and laid the ground rules. Then it’s up to the players to kill or be killed and break a rule or two in the process. Two subsequent subplots involving the CIA and Austin’s girlfriend serve as light advert breaks in-between all the destruction. The Condemned does scratch at the surface of the ethical dilemma, but doesn’t dig deeper than dividing good from bad. At one point it condemns the movie and real audience for the violence and the hypocrisy. The subplots are just accessories to the gladiator scenario and try to normalise the outsider’s perspective.
Steve Austin is an action star in the making. He may not be as charismatic as The Rock, but definitely falls somewhere between the Die Hard and Rambo action hero. Vinnie Jones takes the role of the psychotic Brit and makes an interesting match up with Austin. The Condemned isn’t an amazing action movie, but creates an interesting balance between the worlds of television and film. It would make an excellent prelude to a debate or discussion on the issues surrounding what is ethically viable as a source of entertainment. Director/writer Scott Wiper shows what it takes to make a solid action movie with style. If you enjoyed the action man ’80s with Van Damme, Stallone and Schwarzenegger, you’ll have no problem fitting in with Steve Austin in The Condemned. Muscles, violence, weapons, heavy music, jungle terrain, hand-to-hand combat and plenty of explosions are readily available on this island of reality death. Proceed with caution.
The bottom line: Violent.
