The Condemned
Encyclopedia
The Condemned is a 2007 action film
, co-written and directed by Scott Wiper
, and starring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
, Vinnie Jones
, Robert Mammone
, Madeleine West
and Rick Hoffman
.
The film centers on ten convicts who are forced to fight each other to the death as part of an illegal game which is being broadcast to the public. The Condemned was filmed in Queensland
. Fight choreography
was coordinated by Richard Norton, who also stunt doubles for Jones on some scenes.
The film was produced by WWE Films and distributed by Lionsgate
on April 27, 2007.
prison. "Purchased" by a wealthy television producer and transported to a deserted island in the South Pacific along with nine other condemned criminals similarly purchased from prisons around the world. They are "offered" the opportunity to avoid capital punishment and win back their freedom by fighting to the death in an illegal game to be filmed and broadcast live over the Internet.
A bomb is placed on the ankle of every contestant, each featuring a 30-hour countdown timer, and a ripcord that will detonate the bomb after a ten second delay. The winner will have the bomb removed and be given their freedom as well as a pocket full of cash as the prize. Ian Breckel (Robert Mammone
), the producer, is aiming for online ratings that equal or beat the latest Super Bowl
reception of 40 million television viewers.
As the broadcast progresses, FBI agents discover Conrad's real identity as Jack Riley after a tip from one of Conrad's former classmates. Conrad is discovered to be a former Delta Force
operative who was captured on a Black ops mission to El Salvador after bombing a building controlled by drug dealers. Conrad's girlfriend becomes aware of the situation and watches the show at a local bar as it unfolds.
Ewan McStarley (Vinnie Jones
) and Saiga (Masa Yamaguchi
) team up to remove the competition, while Yasantwa (Emelia Burns
) uses her wiles to trick others to their death. After seeing the show's broadcast tower before the show, Conrad infiltrates the tower and calls his girlfriend, managing to tell her the latitude of the island before he is forced to leave.
After the other seven contestants have died, Conrad is left alone against McStarley and Saiga. He stabs Saiga, and McStarley flees. Eventually, a helicopter drops a shotgun down to McStarley, who uses it to hunt down Conrad. After Conrad falls into a stream, McStarley runs into the cameraman and his armed guard dressed in ghillie suit
s while searching for Conrad, and shoots them, picking up the guard's MP5
submachine gun
.
When McStarley and Conrad meet again, Conrad ends up rolling over a cliff and into a stream to avoid being shot by McStarley's shotgun. Conrad is presumed dead by the fall, and McStarley is declared the winner. As McStarley is being driven to the control tower to collect his prize, Breckel hears that the FBI has sent United States Navy SEALs
to take him into custody. After he meets McStarley and de-activates his bomb, he tells him that he won't receive his prize money. Breckel and McStarley fixed the game in his favor in exchange for his freedom and profits. McStarley takes an MP5 from one of the guards, and kills the tech team in the building, one by one, since they truthfully didn't know that Breckel is abandoning them all. When he corners Julie, Breckel's girlfriend, he is confronted by Conrad, who shoots him several times after talking briefly. Conrad grabs McStarley's two machine guns and chases down Breckel, who is fleeing the island in a helicopter. After emptying the two guns firing at the helicopter, wounding or killing the pilot, he is given McStarley's re-activated ankle bomb by Julie. Conrad throws it into the helicopter, which explodes and crashes into a cliff.
The epilogue shows Conrad being driven back to his home in Texas, a free man, and meets his girlfriend (Madeleine West
), who presumed him dead after he fell off the cliff in his struggle against McStarley. The film ends with Conrad slowly forming a smile.
On one of the two DVD audio commentary tracks, Steve Austin
notes that he was originally cast for the villain role of Ewan McStarley (which eventually went to Vinnie Jones
) and that the role of Jack Conrad was supposed to be played by one of two stars from Hollywood that Austin chose not to mention.
.
Additional tracks
Other songs featured in the film, but not included on the soundtrack:
lists the film with a 16% rating, registering 15 "fresh" reviews out of 95, while Metacritic
gives the film a 23% rating. Complaints against The Condemned included accusations of plot holes, overly preachy tone, and massive amounts of violence untempered by comic relief, irony, or plot progression.
V.A. Musetto of the New York Post
(considered a "top critic" by Rotten Tomatoes) gave the film zero stars out of four, describing it as a "sickeningly violent and inane movie" and complaining that it is a bad rip-off of Battle Royale
and The Most Dangerous Game
.
One of the few positive reviews came from Michael Booth the Denver Post. He described the concept as "The Truman Show
meets Con Air
" and makes positive notes the reality television
aspects of the story, although he cautions readers not to expect "high art" based on the 3 star rating he gives the film.
The majority of WWE Films tend to do poorly at the box office but have a strong following in the home entertainment market.
The Condemned was released in Australia
on January 4, 2008, with an MA15+ rating (Strong Violence, Strong Coarse Language). It was released in New Zealand DVD in February 2008 with an R18 rating (Contains Violence and Offensive Language). The DVD made its release in the United Kingdom
on March 24, 2008 with a rating of 18 (Contains Strong Violence and Language). This was a straight to DVD release in the United Kingdom.
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
, co-written and directed by Scott Wiper
Scott Wiper
Scott Wiper is an American writer, film director, and actor.He wrote, directed, and starred in A Better Way to Die. Wiper's was the co-writer and director of the action thriller, The Condemned, starring WWE's "Stone Cold" Steve Austin...
, and starring "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
, Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
, Robert Mammone
Robert Mammone
Robert Mammone is an Australian actor who has many television and film credits.-Filmography:* Sons and Daughters * All the Way * Embassy * The Crossing...
, Madeleine West
Madeleine West
Madeleine West is an Australian actress known for her TV roles, having played Dee Bliss on the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 2000–2003 and high-class escort Mel on Satisfaction from 2007 to 2010.-Career:...
and Rick Hoffman
Rick Hoffman
Rick Hoffman is an American actor and is best known for his roles as Patrick Van Dorn in Jake in Progress and more recently as Louis Litt in USA Network's legal drama Suits.-Early life:...
.
The film centers on ten convicts who are forced to fight each other to the death as part of an illegal game which is being broadcast to the public. The Condemned was filmed in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. Fight choreography
Stage combat
Stage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
was coordinated by Richard Norton, who also stunt doubles for Jones on some scenes.
The film was produced by WWE Films and distributed by Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
on April 27, 2007.
Plot
Jack Conrad (Steve Austin) is a awaiting execution in a corrupt SalvadoranEl Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
prison. "Purchased" by a wealthy television producer and transported to a deserted island in the South Pacific along with nine other condemned criminals similarly purchased from prisons around the world. They are "offered" the opportunity to avoid capital punishment and win back their freedom by fighting to the death in an illegal game to be filmed and broadcast live over the Internet.
A bomb is placed on the ankle of every contestant, each featuring a 30-hour countdown timer, and a ripcord that will detonate the bomb after a ten second delay. The winner will have the bomb removed and be given their freedom as well as a pocket full of cash as the prize. Ian Breckel (Robert Mammone
Robert Mammone
Robert Mammone is an Australian actor who has many television and film credits.-Filmography:* Sons and Daughters * All the Way * Embassy * The Crossing...
), the producer, is aiming for online ratings that equal or beat the latest Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
reception of 40 million television viewers.
As the broadcast progresses, FBI agents discover Conrad's real identity as Jack Riley after a tip from one of Conrad's former classmates. Conrad is discovered to be a former Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
operative who was captured on a Black ops mission to El Salvador after bombing a building controlled by drug dealers. Conrad's girlfriend becomes aware of the situation and watches the show at a local bar as it unfolds.
Ewan McStarley (Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
) and Saiga (Masa Yamaguchi
Masa Yamaguchi
Masa Yamaguchi is a professional actor who appeared in the movie The Condemned.- Professional life :Masa Yamaguchi studied acting at Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2001. He later appeared in the film The Condemned as Saiga, a Japanese killer, who later teams up with...
) team up to remove the competition, while Yasantwa (Emelia Burns
Emelia Burns
Emelia Jane Burns is an Australian actress, who has had roles in films and television series.-Movies:Burns appeared in the 2007 action film The Condemned, written and directed by Scott Wiper. She portrays Yasantwa, a convict on death row...
) uses her wiles to trick others to their death. After seeing the show's broadcast tower before the show, Conrad infiltrates the tower and calls his girlfriend, managing to tell her the latitude of the island before he is forced to leave.
After the other seven contestants have died, Conrad is left alone against McStarley and Saiga. He stabs Saiga, and McStarley flees. Eventually, a helicopter drops a shotgun down to McStarley, who uses it to hunt down Conrad. After Conrad falls into a stream, McStarley runs into the cameraman and his armed guard dressed in ghillie suit
Ghillie suit
A ghillie suit, wookie suit, yowie suit, or camo tent is a type of camouflage clothing designed to resemble heavy foliage. Typically, it is a net or cloth garment covered in loose strips of cloth or twine, sometimes made to look like leaves and twigs, and optionally augmented with scraps of foliage...
s while searching for Conrad, and shoots them, picking up the guard's MP5
Heckler & Koch MP5
The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....
submachine gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
.
When McStarley and Conrad meet again, Conrad ends up rolling over a cliff and into a stream to avoid being shot by McStarley's shotgun. Conrad is presumed dead by the fall, and McStarley is declared the winner. As McStarley is being driven to the control tower to collect his prize, Breckel hears that the FBI has sent United States Navy SEALs
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
to take him into custody. After he meets McStarley and de-activates his bomb, he tells him that he won't receive his prize money. Breckel and McStarley fixed the game in his favor in exchange for his freedom and profits. McStarley takes an MP5 from one of the guards, and kills the tech team in the building, one by one, since they truthfully didn't know that Breckel is abandoning them all. When he corners Julie, Breckel's girlfriend, he is confronted by Conrad, who shoots him several times after talking briefly. Conrad grabs McStarley's two machine guns and chases down Breckel, who is fleeing the island in a helicopter. After emptying the two guns firing at the helicopter, wounding or killing the pilot, he is given McStarley's re-activated ankle bomb by Julie. Conrad throws it into the helicopter, which explodes and crashes into a cliff.
The epilogue shows Conrad being driven back to his home in Texas, a free man, and meets his girlfriend (Madeleine West
Madeleine West
Madeleine West is an Australian actress known for her TV roles, having played Dee Bliss on the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 2000–2003 and high-class escort Mel on Satisfaction from 2007 to 2010.-Career:...
), who presumed him dead after he fell off the cliff in his struggle against McStarley. The film ends with Conrad slowly forming a smile.
Cast
- Stone Cold Steve AustinStone Cold Steve AustinSteve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
as Jack Conrad (United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) A former Delta ForceDelta Force1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
operator who was arrested in El SalvadorEl SalvadorEl Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
for blowing up a building controlled by drug dealers. - Vinnie JonesVinnie JonesVincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
as Ewan McStarley (United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) After four years as a British SASSpecial Air ServiceSpecial Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
operative and three "peace keeping" tours of Africa, he set fire to a Rwandan village, executed 17 men and raped 9 women. Additional counts, charges of torture and mutilation, landed him on death row. - Masa YamaguchiMasa YamaguchiMasa Yamaguchi is a professional actor who appeared in the movie The Condemned.- Professional life :Masa Yamaguchi studied acting at Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2001. He later appeared in the film The Condemned as Saiga, a Japanese killer, who later teams up with...
as Go Saiga (JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) A political assassin by trade, Saiga failed to snipe a prominent Japanese lawmaker, but what landed him on death row was his revenge-inspired killings of 27 soldiers who had allegedly attacked and raped his girlfriend. - Emelia BurnsEmelia BurnsEmelia Jane Burns is an Australian actress, who has had roles in films and television series.-Movies:Burns appeared in the 2007 action film The Condemned, written and directed by Scott Wiper. She portrays Yasantwa, a convict on death row...
as Yasantwa Adei (GhanaGhanaGhana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
) While traveling through Morocco, Yasantwa moonlighted as a drug runner until her dealers raped her. She fought back, allegedly torturing and murdering her attackers before getting caught and sentenced to death row. - Manu BennettManu BennettManu Bennett is an actor from New Zealand who has appeared in television series and movies.- Early life :Born in New Zealand, Bennett's mother was an Australian bikini model, his father a New Zealand singer. The family moved to Australia when Bennett was a few months old...
as Paco Pacheco (MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
) Along with his wife and fellow contestant Rosa, Paco was condemned to death row for murder and robbery. Paco had prior charges of grievous bodily harm and conspiracy. - Marcus JohnsonMarcus JohnsonMichael Allen "Marcus" Johnson is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mississippi.Johnson has also been a member of the Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and...
as Kreston Mackie (United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) He escaped from prison in 2002 and fled to Malaysia. While there, he set up a shop dealing hash and fell in love with a native girl. When she got busted for possession of drugs, she turned him over in exchange for a lighter sentence. - Dasi RuzDasi RuzDasi Ruz is an Australian actress who has been in several films and television shows.Ruz is known for her role in the 2007 action-thriller film, The Condemned, written and directed by Scott Wiper. Ruz's character is Rosa, who was awaiting execution in Guatemala with her husband, Paco...
as Rosa Pacheco (MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
) Paco's wife was part of the duo's merciless killing spree, landing her, with her husband, on death row. - Nathan JonesNathan Jones (wrestler)Nathan Boyce Jones is an Australian actor, powerlifting champion, strongman, and retired professional wrestler...
as Petr Raudsep (EstoniaEstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
) Also known as "The Russian", he stands 6 in 10 in (2.08 m) and weighs 340 pounds (154.2 kg). A killing machine who is described as a "violent murderer convicted for numerous heinous crimes". - Andy McPhee as Helmut Bruggerman (GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) Helmut was sentenced to death for crimes that include murder, rape, hate crimes and assault. - Rai Fazio as Dominic Giangrasso (ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) Suspected by authorities to be responsible for the bombing of an Italian nightclub, Dominic was eventually charged and sentenced to death for the murders of eight local men over a period of eight months. - Rick HoffmanRick HoffmanRick Hoffman is an American actor and is best known for his roles as Patrick Van Dorn in Jake in Progress and more recently as Louis Litt in USA Network's legal drama Suits.-Early life:...
as Goldman - Robert MammoneRobert MammoneRobert Mammone is an Australian actor who has many television and film credits.-Filmography:* Sons and Daughters * All the Way * Embassy * The Crossing...
as Ian Breckel - Tory MussettTory MussettTory Mussett is an Australian actress. Her first television appearance was in an episode of the detective drama Murder Call...
as Julie - Christopher Baker as Eddie C
- Sam HealySam HealySam Healy is an Australian actress most known for her work portraying Jazmina Hillerman on All Saints, an Australian hospital drama. She has also acted on other Australian series Blue Heelers and McLeod's Daughters...
as Bella - Madeleine WestMadeleine WestMadeleine West is an Australian actress known for her TV roles, having played Dee Bliss on the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 2000–2003 and high-class escort Mel on Satisfaction from 2007 to 2010.-Career:...
as Sarah Cavanaugh - Luke PeglerLuke PeglerLuke Pegler is an Australian actor. He has starred in two WWE Films productions: The Condemned with Stone Cold Steve Austin, and See No Evil with Kane. Pegler joined the cast of Rescue: Special Ops in season 2 as Bingo. Pegler's character died when he got hit by a car...
as Baxter - Angie MillikenAngie Milliken-Career:Milliken first became noticed when she starred in the 1991 made-for-TV movie Act of Necessity for which she was nominated for an Australian Film Institute Award....
as Donna Sereno
On one of the two DVD audio commentary tracks, Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
notes that he was originally cast for the villain role of Ewan McStarley (which eventually went to Vinnie Jones
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
) and that the role of Jack Conrad was supposed to be played by one of two stars from Hollywood that Austin chose not to mention.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for The Condemned was released on April 24, 2007 exclusively on the iTunes StoreITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
.
- "Unbreakable" - Cage9
- "Over & Under" - Egypt CentralEgypt CentralEgypt Central is an American rock band from Memphis, Tennessee.-Formation and debut album :Egypt Central was formed on October 2, 2002. They wrote and recorded for one year until generating a buzz in their hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. After eight shows, they caught the attention of former Lava...
- "I Won't Do What You Tell Me (Josh Wink remix)" - Jim JohnstonJim Johnston (composer)James Alan "Jim" Johnston is an American music composer who has been working for WWE since 1985. His work is often accredited to the names Jim Johnston, James A...
and Josh WinkJosh WinkJosh Wink is an electronic music DJ, label owner, producer, remixer, and artist. He is a native of Philadelphia, United States. A pioneering DJ in the American rave scene during the early 1990s, Wink was the most prominent exponent of the tribal forms of techno and house in the U.S... - "Black Betty" - SpiderbaitSpiderbaitSpiderbait are an Australian alternative rock band formed in Finley in 1989 by bass guitarist Janet English, singer-drummer Mark Maher , and guitarist Damian Whitty. In 2004 the group's cover version of the 1930s Lead Belly song "Black Betty" reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart...
- "You Say" - Aya Peard
- "Umbrella" - ChimairaChimairaChimaira is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1998, the group is a notable member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek mythology...
- "Souljacker part I" - EelsEels (band)Eels is an American indie rock band formed by singer/songwriter Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E...
- "This Colorful World" - Eliot MorrisEliot Morris- Biography :Eliot Morris grew up one of six kids in his parents' house in Mobile, Alabama. A typical southern upbringing with typical boyhood interest, until the day his father brought home a CD player and a Motown compilation. He met Chris Sevier and the two began writing and recording songs and...
- "Opening Titles (Score)" - Graeme RevellGraeme RevellGraeme Revell is a New Zealand film score composer.Revell attended Auckland Grammar School, where he finished his final year in 7A...
- "The Island and Conrad (Score)" - Graeme Revell
- "Hands of Time" - Groove ArmadaGroove ArmadaGroove Armada is an English electronic music duo from London, England comprising Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They are perhaps best known for their singles "I See You Baby" and "Superstylin'"...
- "To Be Young (is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)" - Ryan AdamsRyan AdamsDavid Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
- "Casino (Solid State remix)" - Tommi Eckhardt
- "Savin' MeSavin' Me"Savin' Me" is a rock song written by Canadian band Nickelback. It was released as the third major single from their fifth album All the Right Reasons . The song has reached number two on the Canadian Singles Chart and number nineteen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is one of the band's few...
" - NickelbackNickelbackNickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
Additional tracks
Other songs featured in the film, but not included on the soundtrack:
- "You Don't Know" by EminemEminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, 50 Cent50 CentCurtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, Lloyd BanksLloyd BanksChristopher Charles Lloyd , better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper and member of the rap group G-Unit. Raised in South Jamaica, Queens, he dropped out of high school in 1998. G-Unit released two albums, Beg for Mercy in 2003 and T.O.S. in 2008...
& CashisCashisRamone Johnson, better known by his stage name Cashis , is an American rapper who was born and raised in Chicago, but moved to Irvine, California. He was featured on the Shady album Eminem Presents: The Re-Up and released the County Hound EP in 2007... - "Lonely TrainLonely Train"Lonely Train" is the debut single of the hard rock band Black Stone Cherry from their self-titled album which was released on July 18, 2006. It peaked at #14 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks Billboard chart, and was also selected as a free single on iTunes in July 2006.-Music video:Additionally, a...
" by Black Stone CherryBlack Stone CherryBlack Stone Cherry is an American rock band formed in 2001 in Edmonton, Kentucky. They are signed to Roadrunner Records. The band consists of Chris Robertson , Ben Wells , Jon Lawhon , and John Fred Young... - "In the Air TonightIn the Air Tonight"In the Air Tonight" is a song by Phil Collins that first appeared on his 1981 album Face Value. It was recorded in 1979 and was the first single of Collins' solo career, and remains one of his best-known hits. The music video, directed by Stuart Orme, was released in 1981.-The song/recording:The...
" by Phil CollinsPhil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist.... - "Out of Line" by BuckcherryBuckcherryBuckcherry is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1995. The band released two albums, Buckcherry and Time Bomb , before partially dissolving in the summer of 2002. In 2005, lead vocalist Josh Todd and lead guitarist Keith Nelson reformed Buckcherry and released a new album...
- "Backwoods Gold" by Black Stone Cherry
- "DrivenDriven (Sevendust song)Driven is the lead single from the album Alpha by the heavy metal band Sevendust and is one of the band's highest charting singles , peaking at #10 on the Mainstream Rock Charts, and since surpassed only by "Unraveling", which peaked at #7.-Music video:The Music video, which was shot in Haverhill,...
" by SevendustSevendustSevendust is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia. Formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group... - "Bullet With a Name" by NonpointNonpointNonpoint is an American nu metal band formed in 1997. The band consists of Elias Soriano and Rob Rivera . Currently they are signed to Razor & Tie and working on new a record which is expected to be released in Spring 2012....
- "Shooting Star" by Black Stone Cherry
- "SoulcrusherSoulcrusherSoulcrusher is the debut album by American hard rock band Operator. The album sold over 110,000 copies and peaked at #14 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.- Track listing :#"Soulcrusher" - 3:35#"Nothing to Lose" - 3:52#"Make 'Em Pay" - 3:55...
" by OperatorOperator (band)Operator is an American post-grunge band from Los Angeles, California, United States. The name Operator was used for a solo project created by Johnny Strong, an Actor/Musician/Martial Artist, who has appeared in movies such as Black Hawk Down , The Fast and the Furious, "Get Carter", and "The... - "FirestarterFirestarter (song)"Firestarter" is a song by the English band The Prodigy, released on 18 March 1996. It was the first single from their third album The Fat of the Land, and their tenth single. It was also the group's first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, staying on top for three weeks...
" by The ProdigyThe ProdigyThe Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
Critical response
The critical response to the film was overwhelmingly negative. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
lists the film with a 16% rating, registering 15 "fresh" reviews out of 95, while Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gives the film a 23% rating. Complaints against The Condemned included accusations of plot holes, overly preachy tone, and massive amounts of violence untempered by comic relief, irony, or plot progression.
V.A. Musetto of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
(considered a "top critic" by Rotten Tomatoes) gave the film zero stars out of four, describing it as a "sickeningly violent and inane movie" and complaining that it is a bad rip-off of Battle Royale
Battle Royale (film)
is a 2000 Japanese film directed by Kinji Fukasaku based on the novel of the same name. It was written by Kenta Fukasaku and stars Takeshi Kitano. The film aroused international controversy.A sequel, Battle Royale II: Requiem, followed...
and The Most Dangerous Game
The Most Dangerous Game (film)
The Most Dangerous Game is a 1932 Pre-Code adaptation of the 1924 short story of the same name by Richard Connell, the first film version of that story. The plot concerns a big game hunter on an island who chooses to hunt humans for sport. The film stars Joel McCrea, Leslie Banks, and King Kong...
.
One of the few positive reviews came from Michael Booth the Denver Post. He described the concept as "The Truman Show
The Truman Show
The Truman Show is a 1998 American satirical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Weir and written by Andrew Niccol. The cast includes Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, as well as Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Ed Harris and Natascha McElhone...
meets Con Air
Con Air
Con Air is an Academy Award–nominated 1997 American action-thriller film directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich...
" and makes positive notes the reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
aspects of the story, although he cautions readers not to expect "high art" based on the 3 star rating he gives the film.
Box office
The film debuted with a $3.8m opening weekend in the US. The film lasted only 4 weeks in theaters and made a big loss, closing with a total of $7,371,706. The movie fared worse internationally, taking only $1,271,152 in limited foreign markets, for a total of $8,642,858.Home media
On September 18, 2007, The Condemned was released on DVD and Blu-ray. Opening at no.4, The Condemned brought in $6,520,918 in the first week. Overall, it has sold an estimated 1.185 million DVD units earning $22,673,378, more than 200% it's box office gross.The majority of WWE Films tend to do poorly at the box office but have a strong following in the home entertainment market.
The Condemned was released in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on January 4, 2008, with an MA15+ rating (Strong Violence, Strong Coarse Language). It was released in New Zealand DVD in February 2008 with an R18 rating (Contains Violence and Offensive Language). The DVD made its release in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on March 24, 2008 with a rating of 18 (Contains Strong Violence and Language). This was a straight to DVD release in the United Kingdom.
External links
- The Condemned at WWE.com