User reviews

There are so many things wrong with the execution, it often defies logic and ventures into cheesiness, especially towards latter half. The action doesn't work and even looks more unreal than actual pro wrestling stunts. Unfortunately, this leaves the movie with silly slow-mo and random explosions, which only work as mild diversion at best.

Will (Randy Orton) is a former bounty hunter who wants to turn his life around, when suddenly people start popping up in his life trying to kill him. This silly way of killing a target is set by the antagonist Raul as he creates gambling den to bet on Will's life, but the mercenaries appears in such silly determined manner almost like a video game where they must battle enemy one at a time.

The premise is highly illogical, not to mention motivation for characters feel unconvincing. Furthermore, they can suddenly appear or react in very bizarre way for the sake of plot, that they movie just doesn't try to explain anymore in the second half. It just wants the audience to sit back and enjoy the rapid fire and liberal use of explosion.

Randy Orton is pretty good, he does look the simple action hero part. In the beginning, his character is given decent backstory, which the movie drops once the shooting begins. Ironically, for action movie the choreography looks very timid. Expect missed punch and poor editing for fight scenes, and it's even worse when the movie tries to sell the antagonist, who is a foot shorter than the main character and lacks any charisma.

This is a movie of a man wearing plot armor, rushing through bullets and explosions in slow-mo. It's messy in terms of logic and plot, so those wanting a more cerebral action would be disappointed.

This is a pretty darn bland movie with some poor editing and super cheesy and poorly executed action sequences. Mainly because of the camera execution, it was just lame from start to finish. The acting is pretty bad and seems like regular civilians with shaved heads, some muscle and a beard participated. Or guys that just look slick or a bit geeky played these roles. I like watching movies where it's survival of the fittest, but this movie was boring. I have seen much better from amateur youtube videos and much entertaining as well. Randy Orton for most the time, looked like he didn't know what he was doing. The movie is about an hour and thirty minutes and they try to milk every second of it. Because apparently movies have to be at least 1 hour and 30 minutes or close to it. So there is a bunch of shots of rich people throwing around money, cheering and making bets. Sure this can play a part in the story, but not when it's constantly shown over and over again. This is a action movie, but just about all of the action in this movie is downright stupid and doesn't make any sense. The story seems like something someone can come up with in like an hour by just sitting and writing. Even the interactions between characters was so bad, cliché and boring. Just pass on this one, it's a waste of time. I give this movie a 3 because they seem to have tried really hard to make a cool, stylish quasi video game style movie.

3/10

The Condemned with Steve Austin was different, unique and had a flare to it. Sure the acting wasn't superb but it was decent. The Condemned 2 was horrible from start to finish. This film was poorly adapted, screenplay had a feel of being written by a high school teen, plot was weak and characters were dreadful. Randy Orton is horrid as an actor and the fight sequences were so distasteful they landed like a middle school fight. I give this poorly done film a 3 out of 10.

Crock of sh#t one of the worst things I've watched in my life

The plot does not make sense at all. It almost gave me a headache to try and make sense of the plot while stifling through countless flaws in the movie. The nonsense eventually overpowers the film. The only reason I decide to sit through is for some good ass kicking by Mr.Orton but even that is a disaster. Unnecessary explosions and overhead shots from the drones makes the most of the movie. Felt more like a promotion for drones. If they had stuck to the original plot and made a sequel on just that I believe it would have been much more tolerable. Lionsgate-WWE being such a big production fails to deliver and has been since the past few projects.

This movie makes 'The Condemned' with Steve Austin look like an Academy Award winning movie.

I do not know where to begin. Eric Roberts seems to be the only actor that can sort of... act in this movie. This says a fair bit as the guy is not the best actor going around. The script seems to be written by an 8 year old. The delivery of the lines is some of the worst I have ever seen. Randy Orton's fight scenes are clearly choreographed (you can tell the punches do not connect). His WWE matches are more realistic.

Do yourself a favor and stay away from this movie.

Really bad , storyline , Acting and acting all awful

Very disappointing! I like Randy and think that he can be fine in movies, however, this whole movie was bad. Not very professional! Script, directing, acting, all bad. One scene, a guy is standing inside a gas station holding a shotgun. In the next frame, the shotgun is gone & he is diving behind a counter with a handgun.

The best actor was Eric Roberts, at least his voice had some inflection in it! However, someone needs to tell Eric that a 1911 is a single action not a double action!

Stopped watching about half way through and can't believe that I lasted that long!

"The Condemned 2" stars Randy Orton as a likable underachiever who disappoints his family and associates. A similar criticism could be leveled at the film.

The story concept is actually a vast improvement over "The Condemned" (2007), which was basically a retelling of Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game" with multiple "contestants" pitted against one another and video surveillance. This version adds elements of films like "The 10th Victim" and "The Tournament;" a revenge plot similar to the "12 Rounds" movies; the blood sport promotion to jaded reality television viewers used in the "Death Race" films and the idea of jaded gamblers wagering on the survival of the contestants.

The script has numerous elements that could have been developed much more effectively. The gambling angle was highlighted, but made little sense. Bookies make money regardless of the outcome of sporting events. It makes no sense at all that Raul would be concerned that the events would somehow break the house.

Another intriguing angle is how the villain managed to intimidate and coerce several characters who seem particularly insusceptible to coercion. This is never explored or explained and detracts from the film's tenuous credibility. One character, presumably acting because of threats to his family, chooses death over surrender when death holds no promise of saving his family, but surrender might.

The strong suit in WWE films is usually the martial arts scenes. The gunfights, car chases and pyrotechnics are typically less imaginative. TC2 is no exception, but the martial arts scenes are not impressive and there is too much reliance on gunplay. The film might be more effective if it played to the strengths of its actors.

A few incidents defy all logic and reason. A character fires a short burst with an assault rifle at another character standing a few feet away, but misses. A character suffers a "through- and-through" bullet wound from a .50 caliber BMG sniper rifle that not only fails to rip off his arm, but doesn't slow him down much. Two characters survive a fragmentation grenade that detonates a few feet away from them. Not only are they uninjured, but they can hear each other speak in normal voices afterward.

The story lacks a romantic angle. The only subplot concerns father-son love, which is a little ham-fisted. A similar subplot was handled much more effectively and efficiently in "Inception." Several attractive girls show interest in Tanner, but he never responds with much interest.

Technical aspects are generally passable. Lighting is a bit weak and the typical overdependence on jiggly-cam shots is evident, although not as obvious as in some other films. It takes time to set up a tripod, level out the bubbles, brace it with sandbags and choreograph the action with the camera movement. One can appreciate the simplicity and economy of Steadicam rigs. But films that rely extensively on jiggly-cam shots often feel like the director has asked the cameraman to cover the action as best as he can. The results often seem haphazard rather than planned and crafted. One of the scenes that does seem well crafted is a minor scene involving Tanner changing a tire. Another involves a lot of dirt.

Overall, the film is passable as a no-brainer action film. There are a few good shots, including one where Tanner camouflages himself, a slow-motion close-up of the effect of shock waves and the destruction of a flying object. The action is watchable, but uninspired. The characters do as well as can be expected with what they're given.

The film has a sort of half-baked theme about Tanner needing to follow though and the nature of accepting responsibility. But Tanner never has a plausible option not to continue to the conclusion. He is pushed along by outside forces. The characters who actually make moral choices are his father and two members of his team. In an early scene, a judge imposes an ultimatum which motivates Tanner, but that ultimatum is later abrogated by a character who doesn't have the authority to do so and offers a reward which would ordinarily be unavailable to somebody convicted of manslaughter.

The major problems lie in the script and direction. The script seems like it's about two re- writes short of complete and the direction seems slipshod, haphazard and unplanned. However, it squeezes in a lot of action, usually at a lively pace and the scenery looks nice.

If one can crank up ones willful suspension of disbelief to a moderately high level and sit back and enjoy the show, it's not a bad way to fritter away ninety minutes.

The first condemned is that kind of guilty pleasure action movies who has something that makes you watch it again but this one...... wow i am 30minutes in and i want to stop. The main guy falls from one trap into another as if he is the dumbest headhunter ever. Even eric roberts shines next to him.

Once the sniper arrives i was on the floor. I think that dude shot at least 30 bullets and hit nada lol

Loved the explosions. All in all, it was a good action film. Photography of New Mexico landscape was real nice.

It's been a while since I saw the first movie, but apart from the title and the fact that a wrestler is involved there doesn't seem too much those movies have in common. A bit of the central idea, at least at the beginning seems to be there. And the fact that people have to kill each other ... hmm ... maybe more than I thought then? Although there is not much thinking going on here.

As a teenager I reckon I would have appreciated this a lot more. As it is I am still a sucker for movies that do not have much story, but are quite silly and one sided/layered. They can be entertaining enough. And while I don't think this is near as good as the original, there are enough action scenes to keep you occupied until the end. Which does not make much sense, but hey ... that's not why you watch this ... I sincerely hope it isn't ...

I did see the original "The Condemned" movie years ago on DVD, but to be honest I have forgotten pretty much everything about it. I think that in a few months, I will have forgotten pretty much everything about this sequel too. There's very little merit here that could possibly make this movie stand out from other direct to DVD movies. True, it is always a treat to see the underappreciated Eric Roberts (though honestly he isn't given that much to do in this movie.) Also, I will admit that director Roel Reiné does manage to milk a lot out of his very limited budget, such as throwing in a few impressive visuals. Too bad he apparently couldn't do anything with the sorry script. There are so many illogical plot turns and character actions that quite frankly I felt my intelligence was being insulted. Actually, I am often forgiving of poor scripting in action movies as long as the action is well executed, but in this case it isn't. The action is routine at its best, and at its worst (which is most of the time) it is dull and/or poorly put together. If you are familiar with the film output of WWE, I am sure that the fact that this effort is pretty much a misfire comes as no surprise. Move on, nothing to see here.

The action scenes in this movie are okay. Nothing that makes it special at all. The plot is a bit all over the place. If you're willing to turn your brain off and just enjoy some action scenes. Then maybe you'll like this movie. Also Randy Orton does a good job. Surprisingly good I think. He would have made a much better villain though. The main villain in this movie is absolutely horrible. Some of the cringiest attempts at being intimidating I've ever seen. It's laughable. But at least the movies only 90 minutes. I've seen worse, but I've definitely seen so much better. This movie is worth a watch, especially if you're a Randy Orton fan already.

(2015) The Condemned 2 ACTION

Cinematography and directed by Roel Reiné that's not actually a direct sequel from the first "Condemned" movie starring Steve Austin. In this second, stars Randy Orton, as he plays "Bail Enforcement Agent" team leader, Will Tanner leading his unit of five to capture baddie, Cyrus Merrick (Wes Studi). Will's team also include Communications & intel specialist, Harrington (Bill Stinchcomb); an interrogator, Lange (Michael Sheets); explosives expert named Cooper (Alex Knight); hand to hand combat, Ryan Michaels (Morse Bicknell) and a sniper named Travis (Dylan Kenin). And as a result of Will accidentally killing his half a million bounty, after six months, he then gets five years probation. The first thing he does besides visiting his dad, Frank Tanner (Eric Roberts) he applies for a low grade job of a toe truck driver on a long desert highway. And it is not long before Will Tanner becomes the number target from Cyrus Merrick's #2 man, Raul Baccaro (Steven Michael Quezada). In other words, Will Tanner becomes "The Condemned", with him having to defend himself from getting killed from his former team, starting from his hand to hand expert Ryan Michaels before him confronting his interrogator James Lange. And at first Will had no idea he is being targeted by Raul Baccaro and his gamblers who were watching him defend himself from his former team, who are attempting to take him out. Watched and televised live by drones and sometimes by riders on ATVs.

Many of the other reviews here have done a great job of summing up how monumentally awful this movie is. To say it fails on every single level is old news. Nothing at all like Condemned which was a great movie. Condemned 2 virtually typifies many of the least entertaining things a movie can deliver. It's so far beyond bad. No one in the movie does anything a normal person would do. Not one. Randy "The Viper" just walks about shuffling his feet mumbling his lines putting inflection on all the wrong words. It's almost surreal. Then it's frown, fake smile, frown for no reason.

Many drinking games can be developed on various bad traits in this movie - How many times a clear shot misses, how many times characters get 30 rounds out of a 10 round clip, how many times bets are made by the nameless gamblers yet NOTHING has happened to preface the bets - There is literally nothing to be betting on! Another great one would be to do a shot of beer (not the hard stuff - you'll be too wasted) each time Randy unnaturally pauses before progressing through a scene or delivering a line. These are not normal pauses, folks. This is Randy (who doesn't seem too bright and may have CTE from all that wrestling) trying his earnest to remember what his cut-rate acting coach tried to teach him in his week of classes. . . . "Now Randy. Remember how you learned on Monday that you have to stare at the phone for 3 seconds after a call has ended, right? OK, so today we're going to go over 'Unnatural Pausing for Dramatic Effect'? Now these pauses will happen completely unannounced and have no relation to reality -- BUT it will show your dramatic range and truly make the scene!"

After rewatching the original Condemned film then seeing this film, can conclude that enjoyed this sequel better. Randy Orton is a more likeable lead than Steve Austin and this sequel isn't nearly as over the top. This film is also shorter in runtime and doesn't drag on like the original does. Still this sequel isn't anything special but does have some entertaining enough action to satisfy.

Just don't waste your time with this movie. Bad acting, horrible plot, unbelievable bullets go through wood but don't hit the main actor but you can clearly make out the holes facing the actor. Just wow. They try to make it "modern" with shitty graphics and horrible sound effects but it just makes it worse. I stopped watching it half-way, I got up and left. Just garbage. In fact, the alien spider movie was better and that had like a $10K budget or something like that. Didn't this turd of a director have a better plot to waste their money on? I guess it's all part of the shitty experience. All you gotta look is the main actor and realize he can't act if his life depended on it. There's plenty of times where you can see the actors faking their horrible acting. I wish there was a -1 rating.

The WWE made a direct-to-video sequel of their ripoff film of the Japanese cult classic "Battle Royale" that's painfully dull. No Steve Austin this time and instead the wrestler star is Randy Orton (I'm not familiar with him as a wrestler, but I do remember his dad, "Cowboy" Bob Orton). The original film stuck much closer to "Battle Royale," with unwitting victims finding themselves trapped on an island, wearing explosive collars, and then being told they have to kill each other in a set amount of time or all of their collars will explode. That was all straight out of Kinji Fukasaku's "Battle Royale," though I suppose one could argue that Fukasaku's film (based on a Japanese novel) was really a more violent update of "The Most Dangerous Game." However, the original Condemned, although derivative, was still entertaining and had some decent action. This sequel felt super cheap, especially the low budget desert setting where the competitors find themselves once again killing each other off for the entertainment of others. Eric Roberts and Wes Studi do some slumming, but they can't make this film worth watching or even watchable. Dullsville.