In Hell (2003)

Director:

Ringo Lam

Writers:

Eric James Virgets (written by) &
Jorge Alvarez (written by)

Release Date:

8 August 2003 (Spain)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Rage unleashed.

Plot:

A man must survive a prison where hardened criminals battle to the death for the warden's entertainment.

Plot Keywords:

Fight | Prison | Russia | Fighting | Sadistic Prison Guard

Cast

Jean-Claude Van Damme	...	Kyle LeBlanc
Lawrence Taylor	...	451
Marnie Alton	...	Grey LeBlanc
Malakai Davidson	...	Malakai
Billy Rieck	...	Coolhand
Jorge Luis Abreu	...	Boltun
Lloyd Battista	...	General Hruschov
Michael Bailey Smith	...	Valya
Robert LaSardo	...	Usup (as Robert Lasardo)
Carlos Gómez	...	Tolik (as Carlos Gomez)
Chris Moir	...	Billy Cooper
Paulo Tocha	...	Victor
Juan Fernández	...	Shubka (as Juan Fernandez)
Clark Sanchez	...	Tiefoo
Manol Manolov	...	Ivan (as Emanuil Manolov)

Also Known As:

Hell (USA) (working title)
Security Housing Unit (USA) (working title)
The S.H.U. (USA) (alternative title)
The Savage

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong brutal violence, language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

USA:96 min | Argentina:100 min | UK:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (heavily cut) | Germany:18 (uncut) | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Japan:PG-12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bulgaria

Company:

777 Films Corporation

Trivia:

Lawrence Taylor's character is named 451, a reference to Ray Bradbury's novel Farenheit 451.

Quotes:

451: Unity of people can bring down any establishment. Their power was gone.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Tale of Two Titans (2004) (V)

My goodness, is that Van Damme acting?

Firstly, can I just say that this has to be one of the most unoriginal movies I have ever seen. It steals from just about every prison movie ever made, especially "Midnight Express", "Lock Up", "The Green Mile" etc, and with a bit of "Shawshank Redemption" thrown in for good measure. So, if this is the case then why have I given the movie 8 out of 10? Because it's the best Van Damme movie I've ever seen.

Jean-Claude's films are made to appeal to fans of the kind of action film that disappeared from cinemas about 10 years ago: the unthinking, violent, easy-on-the-brain popcorn fodder that he, Arnie and Sly used to churn out by the bucket load. These days, Van Dame is much like Seagal in that all their films go direct-to-video (or DVD, as it now is). However, where as Seagal's post-fame efforts are united by their awfulness, Van Damme has, with "In Hell", made a real effort to do something a bit different.

So, he has no real martial arts skills, and no cheesy one-liners. Instead, he actually acts, and it's quite something to behold. Okay, he's never going to win any awards, but it's nice to see he's making the effort. Director Ringo Lam shoots the movie brilliantly, making it look a trillion pounds when in fact it probably cost about 50p to make. The supporting cast are quite good as well, with no terrible performances rearing up to ruin the film. I must admit, too, that I was quite moved by certain sections, and you could really feel for the prisoners trapped 'in hell' (what a title!).

So, in conclusion, give this movie a watch, and enjoy it- just ignore that you probably know where the plot is going long before it's even got there.