It is natural to expect that a product of WWE Films would be hard-hitting and action packed. But when the audience cannot properly see and enjoy the action, the end result is disappointing. WWE Film's latest production, "The Condemned", offers bountiful opportunities for action fans to satisfy their hunger. But due to the poor directorial work, it becomes a tease. Even the star power and fan following of the film's lead (former WWE wrestler Steve Austin) was not enough could not save this debacle. "The Condemned" is one big mess that leaves the audience wondering what was the crime they committed to deserve this sentence.<br /><br />On a remote South Pacific island, television producer Ian Breckel (Robert Mammone) has bought 10 death row prisoners for his own deadly game of Survivor. The convicts will fight to the death until there is only one winner who will gain their freedom. Breckel plans on broadcasting the carnage over the Internet in hopes of gaining huge profits for himself. Among the prisoners are the mysterious Jack Conrad (Steve Austin) and the homicidal Ewan McStarley (Vinny Jones). The game is now on for what is literally the fight of their lives.<br /><br />Scott Wiper's direction is the biggest downfall to what could have been a great action movie. With quick cuts accompanied by hard rock, Wiper seems to be directing a music video more than a feature film. He does not let the audience fully benefit and appreciate the prisoners fighting one-on-one. Instead of using a wide shot to show the convicts going at it, Wiper opts to use close-ups of the actors who are dishing out the punishment. This severely takes away from the concept of the story and the film. The basis is to show what murderous felons would do when placed on in a life or death situation. By reducing the visual effectiveness, the point becomes moot. When the actors are not moving, Wiper's direction gets better. He does to a well enough job in showing the more brutal crimes such as rape without having to show the actual deed. The implication itself does more for the audience than the filming ever could.<br /><br />The weak direction is accompanied by an equally weak script by Wiper and Rob Hedden. The story begins decently with the battle of wills between convicts. It is when the story turns into a forced morality tale that it falls apart and makes the audience hang their heads and groan. Throughout the duration of the film, the story becomes filled with the standard counterpoint arguments, e.g., the convicts are human beings, violence is simply entertainment, etc. These arguments would have made a more profound impact if they could not have been seen a mile away. If the script makes it known that these prisoners are hardened and remorseless criminals, what is the purpose of having empathy for them? The point of "violence is entertainment" is a dispute against the film itself. Wiper and Hedden seem to saying that it is wrong for the audience to be watching this brutal film they have created.<br /><br />Even with a role that seems tailor-made for Steve Austin, he is not able reach the full potential of the character. Again, this is more due to the poor script and directional planning. As Jack Conrad, Austin is supposed to be an ass-kicking, take-no-prisoners badass. But he is hardly involved in any conflicts until the nearly the end of the film. Throughout the majority of the movie, Austin is forced to play Conrad as a sympathizer for the prisoners and the hardships they have endured. It is a major letdown for any fan of the superstar or action movies. Contrary, Vinny Jones has more action sequences and more chances to engage his character of Ewan McStarley. Jones really plays McStarley to the full tilt as a ruthless, unconscionable madman. He masterminds most of the killings and does all the combats that audiences were expecting from Austin. Audiences will be more excited to see Jones on the screen because they will know that something will go down. One can also see that Vinny Jones seems to be having more fun with his character than the rest of the cast because he has something useful to do.<br /><br />Even by action movie standards, "The Condemned" has all the lucidity of a drug addict telling stories to school children. It enjoys brief moments of high points and adrenaline but has too many gaps between the action sequences and the story. The direction is just too poor and the script is too rushed for the movie to be fully enjoyable. The only condemned are those who bought a ticket for this movie. Yours truly is guilty as charged.<br /><br />GRADE: D+