The Condemned 2 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

The Condemned 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Condemned to the DTV scrap heap.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 9, 2016

The Condemned 2 follows in a modestly proud tradition of movies that combine hardcore survival with cutting edge entertainment, movies in which a collection of characters are tasked with killing one another in the ultimate last-man-standing arena. It's also all being broadcast to the world. Such was the plot of fan favorites like The Running Man and more recently The Condemned, an early career Action vehicle for former WWE Superstar "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. This sequel stars another WWE wrestler, Randy Orton, and is directed by Roel Reiné, who previously worked with Orton in 12 Rounds 2: Reloaded and is making a sequel to Hard Target, a movie kinda-sorta in the same vein as The Condemned 2. Unfortunately, The Condemned 2 plays with a disappointing paint-by-numbers feel to it. It's a movie that seems content to rehash ideas and sit on the genre's laurels rather than serve up the sort of fresh meat that's necessary to keep a one-trick-pony genre on its toes and on the tongues of Action fans.

The Viper: Condemned.

Bounty Hunter Will Tanner (Randy Orton) might be doing the people's work, but he's also operating outside the law. After busting a bad guy, he's convicted of manslaughter but still allowed out on the streets. He snags a job driving a tow truck, and on one of his calls he finds an old friend named Michaels (Morse Bicknell) broken down on the side of the road. After Tanner gets his car fixed, the friends head out to get a drink. But that drink turns deadly when Michaels pulls a gun tries to kill his friend. Tanner gets the upper hand and learns that he's been targeted to participate in a high stakes game with millions of dollars on the line. The object: kill or be killed. The man running it: the nefarious Raul Baccaro (Steven Michael Quezada), a man who has risen to the top of the food chain after Tanner killed his predecessor.

The Condemned 2 attempts to cover up its dearth of creativity with overblown and over-exaggerated style. And sometimes it just goes merrily about its business, seemingly blissfully ignorant about how stale it can be. It would be easy to say that the movie's efforts to play as edgy and slick only get in the way, but it's not like they're blocking much else out. Lingering on explosions, slowing things down to emphasize magazine changes, and other tricks of the trade don't add anything of substance to the movie, and none of it is presented in an interesting way. The movie never escapes a very real staleness as it maneuvers through crude plot points that leave the characters more vulnerable to the void of been there, done that derivative action scenes than they are to the physical dangers that face them in every scene. Even the movie's best moments tend to play out for far too long and struggle to maintain any momentum, including when Orton's character comes under .50 caliber sniper rifle fire or he and a buddy traverse a minefield. Here the movie manages to eek out a legitimate sense of danger, particularly in that sniper section, but the predictability factor is so high and the scenes so desperately long that the moments lose their edge far too quickly.

The movie's saving grace is Randy Orton, who plays the part not so much with charisma -- the part doesn't ask him to be suave -- but rather a tangible and believable tough guy rough-and-tumble attitude. He looks the part and falls right into it. He handles himself very well behind the trigger and pulls off a number of good little stunts. He works hard in the movie and, at least since the part isn't at all dramatically demanding, manages to pull it off on screen presence alone. He finds a positive chemistry with co-star Eric Roberts, who plays his father in a role that could have been a little better defined but that Roberts performs well enough, much like Orton thanks to his ability to command a scene and less anything the script gives him. Steven Michael Quezada delivers the movie's most uneven and potentially audience-splitting performance as the lead villain. He's largely relegated to spouting off cheesy one-liners with what can be described as a very zealous, maybe even overzealous energy level. He really hams it up in a dark but, at the same time, fairly cheesy way that underscores the movie's frivolity and lack of serious edge, while at the same time emoting enough negative energy to give the audience a villain worth despising.

The Condemned 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Condemned 2 features a seriously frustrating 1080p transfer that is at times a showcase for the best that digitally sourced movies have to offer, and at times the worst. First, the bad. At times, the movie looks almost sick. Banding, noise, and macroblocking can absolutely overwhelm the screen. Nowhere is this more evident than at the "casino" where people place their bets on the convicts, but even elsewhere all three issue creep up to a high level of severity. At its worst, the image is borderline unwatchable. On the flip side, when the transfer is on, it looks very good. Details are often very complex and enjoyable. Scruffy facial hair, pores, heavy material jackets, and rocky and sandy terrain almost always dazzle. Colors are impressive, particularly as clothes and fireballs stand apart from the earthen terrain. Flesh tones hold up well enough beyond those "casino" shots where they go heavily pasty and unimpressive. Black levels generally maintain a deep, natural depth without crushing out too many details.

The Condemned 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Condemned 2 features an ultra-aggressive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that sacrifices a bit of legitimacy in favor of over-the-top sonic mayhem. Rarely does the track relent. Sounds are spit out from every direction, and often to good effect. Listeners will practically feel the mayhem around them, whether blaring music that protrudes from every speaker or action effects, like explosions and gunshots, that rip through the stage. Pistols shots ring out with a good bit of juice, but it's the .50 caliber rifle that really impresses. Audiences will not only hear the zip and the impact, but feel the heft of the heavy bullet piercing the air all around the listening area. It's practically enough to make one want to duck for cover. Musical clarity is excellent, supported by seamless surround information and plenty of low end push. Explosions likewise pack a healthy wallop and relentlessly punish the stage. Dialogue enjoys good, natural center placement and fine prioritization, even amongst the mayhem. Sometimes, though, it's just a little too overblown, too engineered. Nevertheless, it's mostly enjoyable.

The Condemned 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Condemned 2 contains two film-related extras. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Drones (1080p, 4:32): A look at the benefits and technical details of shooting parts of the movie with drones and what role drones play in the movie's storyline.
• Fight For Your Life (1080p, 4:53): A look at the movie's physicality, Randy Orton's own stunt work, and making a couple of key fight scenes in the movie.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Lionsgate titles.

The Condemned 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Condemned 2 doesn't have much going for it outside of Randy Orton and Eric Roberts. The stars command the screen more because of natural presence and less any of the off-the-shelf dialogue the script gives them or the recycled action and plot points the movie engages them in. Outside of a couple of good sequences, the movie feels like it plays out in slow motion, particularly during any of the "gambling" scenes in which "the elite" bet on who will live or die, practically a death sentence for what is supposed to be a nonstop action flick. Lionsgate's Blu-ray features very troubled video, dynamic but over-pumped audio, and a couple of brief extras. Rent it.