Lionsgate and WWE Films along with Colossal Entertainment and New Wave Entertainment present a 113 minute R rated film directed by Scott Wiper and starring Steve Austin (Jack Conrad), Vinnie Jones (Ewan McStarley), Rick Hoffman (Goldman), Robert Mammone ((Ian Breckel), Tory Mussett (Julie), Christopher Baker (Eddie), Sam Healy (Bella), Madeleine West (Sarah Cavanaugh), Luke Pegler (Baxter), Masa Yamaguchi (Saiga), Emelia Burns (Rio), Manu Bennett (Paco), Dasi Ruz (Rosa), Marcus Johnson(K.C. Mack) and Nathan Jones (The Russian).
If you've ever seen the old movie called "The Ten Little Indians" then you might see some similarities but only in the title. In this film there are ten main players to the game and only one is left standing, literally. A wealthy producer decides he can make millions by broadcasting live stream of ten of the most ruthless killers in the world by dropping them on a deserted island off New Guinea and making them fight each other to the death. The last man or woman standing after thirty hours will be granted their freedom along with enough money to start a new life. One catch though, each of the members are fitted with a rigged bomb on their ankles and the other prisoners can kill them by detonating this ankle bracelet while in physical combat.
The film starts out a bit raw with Jack serving time for protecting government secrets in a Salvadorian prison. He is pushed to his limits to fight for his own life as a trial to test his capabilities for the reality internet producers. The brutality doesn't stop there it basically continues throughout the entire film with each of these prisoners from different parts of the world fighting for survival. A married Mexican couple, German, Russian, African American, Japanese and American Jack Conrad all fight to a bitter end. Survival of the fittest is the premise to draw millions of viewers to the site at a price of $49.99. Does it succeed in making this goal a reality? Sad to say, of course it does!
A film crew is set up on the island and has rigged it so every possible canal, river, cliff and bunker is monitored to catch every brutal slaying of one prisoner pitted against the other fighting to their death. Basically it is kill or die, not quite "Big Brother" or "Survivor" reality television.
Jack Conrad after being forced to participate has one goal in this game which is to survive and make it back to the states to his girlfriend, Sarah and her two children. Sarah, had no idea what had happened to Jack nor why he disappeared until she was led to this internet reality show where she and other millions watched the prisoners kill each other one by one. To make the game more interesting the producers from time to time will throw a prisoner a bone so to speak by dropping via helicopter a bag of goodies like knives, a cross bow and even guns.
Seventy one countries watched this live reality internet stream. One might ask if there are children watching and who are the ones truly at fault in presenting such a graphically horrific animalistic reality game? Is it the producers who created it or the viewers that paid to watch it. A statement that was made in the film but not until after the audience had sat there in the theatre for almost two hours watching so called human beings rip each other apart like rabid animals. In light of everything that is happening in the world today and quite recently in our own backyards this film is by no means a walk in the park during these sensitive times.
Of course meant to be that way, I found that sometimes the camera angles and raw footage was a bit too jumpy creating a bit of unnecessary confusion. The story line albeit interesting tries to deliver a message, quite brutal leaving very little to the imagination. Directed and acted well considering for the most part action was the main premise leaving very little to the spoken dialogue. Thank goodness for the character Goldman who added a touch of levity to the otherwise dark and gruesome script. Steve Austin has surely solidified his image on the big screen as an action figure, not a far stretch from his wrestling persona.
The action packed film moves quickly and will surely appeal to the male demographic but definitely not the type of movie to take a youngster to see. It will probably do well at the box office but even better on DVD when the R rating doesn't keep its younger Austin fans away. Death, fighting, blood, language and overall brutal violence drives this film from the beginning right to the bitter and tragic end leaving only the somewhat moral beauty and the beast standing alone.
Reporting for Talkin' Pets, I'm Jon Patch.