That was an excellent one.

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Van Damme is an actor who has made some rubbish films in his time, it really has to be said. UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: THE RETURN was abysmal, THE ORDER was also appalling, and DOUBLE TEAM wasn't much better. Thankfully, IN HELL shows us a Van Damme who is back on track, teamed once more with the winning director Ringo Lam in an atypical drama movie which engages the senses and is a thoroughly enjoyable film experience despite the gruelling subject matter.Yes, it's a prison movie, with all of the expected clichés and references to the likes of LOCK UP, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE GREEN MILE, and DEATH WARRANT. However, this is an utterly serious film, expect no comedy, and it goes through some of the darkest subject matter that is filmable: graphic male and female rape, ultra violent street fights (complete with torn jugulars and blood fountaining all over) and horrendous living conditions – once we see Van Damme literally bathing in a pool of urine.The dialogue is surprisingly good in places, and the jumble of sub-plots, ideas, themes, and action makes it really watchable – you never really know what's going to happen next. The action is hard knuckle and exciting, with really despicable villains, and there is at least one emotional moment that had me on the edge of my seat. Van Damme is a decent actor now and he carries the complex leading role very well indeed, so no complaints there either. If you enjoy prison flicks, you'll love this no-holds-barred shocker just as much as I did.

This movie was a complete surprise. I have always seen Van Damme as a great action hero and most of his movie doesn't have any story. When I started watching this one, I expected same action stuff but it completely took me by surprise. The movie started with some action stuff but then on the real story evolves. There is no big surprises around but it was not all out action. Van Damme managed to emote well and the prison torture scenes were well done. After seeing this film,most of us will fear to death if we even dream of getting into a prison like this. All actors as prison wardens and inmates given the movie the exact feel it needed.Watch this movie without any expectation and you wont be disappointed..

Kyle LeBlanc (Van Damme) is an American who works in Russia. When his wife is murdered, he gets revenge and kills the assailant. Unfortunately, rather than be the end of the movie, it's just the beginning of the nightmare for Kyle. He's sent to a harsh, unforgiving Russian prison (is there any other kind?). While in there trying to survive, it comes to light that the corrupt guards bet on Punchfighting matches which they call "The Sparka" between the inmates. Kyle trains and fights, and becomes good, but in the process begins to lose his soul. Thanks to cellmate 451 (Taylor), Kyle starts the process of escaping his prisons, both mental and physical.It may have been stated before, but In Hell is truly a return to form for Van Damme. After the horrendous Derailed (2002), he probably re-assessed his life and career and demanded he do something of quality. This may be an educated speculation, but In Hell is the result. It's shot and directed well, as Ringo Lam is a talented man, and Van Damme probably thought it was foolproof to fall back on his Maximum Risk (1996) and Replicant (2001) director to deliver a good, solid production. He was right.Interestingly, In Hell balances bare-knuckle, hard-core Punchfighting with a surprising amount of depth and philosophy, primarily delivered by Lawrence Taylor (of all people) as 451. The movie shows how Kyle becomes feral and animalistic, and begins to lose his identity. But he must search his soul to get it back. On top of that, there's even some parallels to the biblical Samson story. Van Damme has a beard and long hair at one point. Can he maintain his abilities once it becomes a soul patch? While there is some CGI (we'll forgive the CGI moth, but the CGI planes are unnecessary), if you think about such movies as The Quest (1996), and compare that to this, you truly see Van Damme's range as a performer and martial artist. The Quest, for all intents and purposes, is a kid's movie, and In Hell certainly isn't. Those are two ends of his spectrum, and any JCVD haters out there should keep that in mind. He clearly saw In Hell as a chance to stretch and push himself as an actor/martial artist (in itself a good sign that at his age he still wants to grow and learn), and In Hell was the perfect vehicle to do that, and the results are winning and entertaining, while delivering a different kind of Van Damme. So it could be said that it was a success all around.Thirteen years after Death Warrant (1990), Van Damme returns to prison. And we should all be glad he did. In Hell is a Van Damme winner.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

I always wondered what happen to JCVD... Now I see... Wow this movie was bad! Not just a bit bad, but cringed bad...Yet the movie could have been so much more. Especially with a budget with 17 million. You would figure that somebody spent some time on directing or producing. The best actor was Lawrence Taylor and he did not speak much.I guess the real problem with the movie was the plot and how it jumped from one corner to the other.Let me illustrate, Lawrence Taylor... A single coloured person in a Russian jail... Yeah that is believable! What they should have done is taken somebody from the Kozaks. I am very disappointed because I had hopes for this movie...