American Variation on Battle Royale except in this film those put on the island, squared off against each other, with bomb locks around their ankles, are adults(..mostly those with a criminal past awaiting Death Row). Stone Cold Steve Austin is a black ops federal special forces agent, Jack Conrad, who was infiltrating a drug cartel when he was caught and imprisoned in a Central American jail, bought and placed into the death tournament on a reality internet game. Vinnie Jones is a psychotic former special ops guy himself, McStarley, his was for the British government. The collar bombs have a trigger device that will go off if another competitor presses the button. Those handpicked to compete represent various countries, and only one can survive with the prize being their freedom. The corrupt mastermind behind the whole operation is Breckel(Robert Mammone), who looks like a self-absorbed Harvard grad with an insatiable desire to exploit a selected few to reap millions from those craving real violence..he wishes to "put on a good show" by manipulating his audience establishing heroes, villains, and the weak victims who are unable to outlast the stronger, more savage foes. We watch as the "condemned" fight for survival, trying to outwit each other, as weapons are parachuted to McStarley, and his temporary Japanese partner Saiga(Masa Yamaguchi)purposely by Breckel so that they can gain an advantage as a strategy to make his show more thought-provoking and gripping. What Breckel doesn't expect is how intelligent, resourceful and cunning Conrad is, and how he'll set his sights on getting even with ones responsible for placing him in this difficult, dangerous situation. Breckel underestimates Conrad and an even bigger problem develops as his base camp operation is not too far from the action. Also a sub-plot is those searching for Conrad's whereabouts and attempting to pinpoint where Breckel's operation is located.
Those expecting a bloody good time will be sorely disappointed as the frenetic camera work disrupts any kind of thrill the premise might produce. You see a blizzard of blows flash by as the high octane editing process and constantly moving camera remove any possibility of seeing two competitors exchanging real blows in a proper fashion. Stone Cold Steve Austin is a credible enough hero and Vinnie Jones is as unhinged a psycho as ever before, but they are undermined by sloppily staged action sequences which will likely give the intended audience a headache or the desperate craving for Dramamine by the time it's over. There's plenty of hand-to-hand combat sequences which could really hum if the director and cinematographer could keep their damn camera still long enough for us to enjoy it. Perhaps the filmmakers didn't have enough faith in their leads to provide realistic combat, but it's a shame that, burdened by the rather thin story-line, it can not deliver on what it's supposed to. Impressive setting with the jungle and dangerous rocks leading to rushing water as Breckel has cameras spread throughout capturing the action as it unfolds(..also having men camouflaged filming some action live on the scene). An ongoing story-line has Breckel dealing with the animosity of members of his staff who are finding it hard to deal with the violence that is transpiring. Within the screenplay is an indictment on reality television and the desire for viewing real, live bloodshed. Practically everyone's dead by the end of this film.