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.
Review of The Condemned 2
