Ring of Death

Saw this one yesterday after reading the plot line. I was hoping for something similar to Prison Break but with a lot of action.

This could have been made with a lot more effectiveness. Cop goes into prison as a convict to nab a bunch of crooks who run a fighting tournament and stream it Live on the internet - old wine in a new bottle.

Still it could have been handled better. Weak dialogs and ineffective editing, only shows that very little effort has been spent on the script.

Stunt scenes look powerful but that alone cant lift the whole thing up.

Johnny Messner does a clean job - cannot complain about him.

I was looking for something similar to Prison Break mashed up with some Urban Fight but sadly, the fight was present but the shrewdness of the Prison Break series was totally missing.

A mildly entertaining, if derivative, prison fighting flick. The story of this one was not so much created as liberally borrowed from a dozen other genre entries, from DEATH WARRANT to PENITENTIARY, with bits of THE CONDEMNED thrown in for good measure. For a TV movie it's surprisingly explicit, with truly bone-crunching bouts that end with the participants typically lying covered in blood.

The action is well staged, although there are some annoying directorial flourishes and supposedly cute editing that make this a product of its time. Director Bradford May, responsible for the DARKMAN sequels as well as the similarly staged MASK OF THE NINJA (also 2008), should know better.

Aside from the action, there's little to write home about – unless the sight of silicon-enhanced bimbos is likely to keep you occupied. Johnny Messner is a serviceable hero figure, and the supporting cast is made up of the usual prison clichés: sadistic guards, veteran old-timers, the fresh guy likely to get raped or murdered before long. Stacy Keach plays the warden in an extraordinarily hammy performance that seems to have been based on Winston Churchill, of all people. Nothing we haven't seen before then, but it passes the time for undemanding viewers.

Who knows if this film would have been any good? You spend the whole time feeling nauseous from the hand held camera zooming in and jumping from character to character. The story, of course, was preposterous, but the warden was likeable as a deranged old man.

Well, what can I say about Ring of Death? It's cliche, it's predictable, it's a rehash of every B-list prison movie you've ever seen, and yet, it's oddly entertaining enough to warrant a one-time watch.

Stacy Keach delivers a hammy, effeminate performance that screams " I just don't care anymore."

Anyway, guys who I never believed for one second were hardened convicts bare knuckle fight each other while Stacy Keach streams the fights online and the guy who played Mr. O'Boyle on King of Queens is surrounded by topless playboy models and is somehow in cahoots with Stacy Keach.

If you're bored on a Saturday afternoon, let Stacy Keach pound your leather and give Ring of Death a view.

Ok film didn't start particularly well but the jerky camera work nearly pit me off as much as the wardens accent. I might pick it up again later but I expect no surprises.