The Condemned
Tuesday, 1 May 2007
I have a few weaknesses, and one of them is a genuine love for 1980s-style post-pub movies.
The Condemned could be the finest example of that genre of movie in 2007.
The film stars 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, in his first major role. Now, I couldn't give a fuck about so-called professional wrestling. Oiled men in pants just really isn't my thing (honest.) But, as said, I do have a fondness/slight leaning/massive hard-on for that cinematic golden period of macho, ultra-violent, totally un-PC 80s action film and The Condemned, from the trailer and clips that I've seen, is ringing all kinds of wonderous bells. And Austin totally looks the part. Better yet (can it get better, you're asking!?) - Vinnie Jones is the bad guy.
Look!
Take one part Battle Royale, one part The Running Man, and one part Survivor, and this is the movie you end up with. Yes, it's going to be cheesy. And yes, it's going to fall somewhere between making a valid argument about the inevitable direction of reality television, and being little more than an excuse for mindless violence, but there's nothing wrong with that.The downside? It's made by WWE - World Wrestling Entertainment - who recently gave us such gems as The Marine. However, the production values on this look much higher and Austin at least appears to have an ounce of charisma, something that John Cena totally lacked.
It opened in the US over the weekend, and there's no word on a UK release date. But there's always the torrents. Watch this space.
Official Web Site: http://www.watchthemdielive.com/
posted by Sheamus @ 11:30 am
