User Reviews

"In Hell" is a prison movie -- and as we all know -- prison movies come with their own set of clichés. You know the type... the ruthless head prison guard, a corrupt warden, inmates of various nationalities and tendencies complete with their own stories all within the worst of living conditions. "In Hell" couples this with an utterly brutal and ultimately dehumanizing set of fight pieces set inside the corrupt lifeless Russian prison that come together to form the latest opus from Ringo Lam and Van Damme. Now you'll either look past these clichés maybe even embrace them and enjoy the movie as-is or you won't and should turn back now. Those heeding the warning will venture to find a movie akin to the 'been-there-seen-that' trait, but with a Van Damme twist and shaped by the dark foreboding hand of Ringo Lam.

"In Hell" finds Kyle LeBlanc (Van Damme) living in the former people's republic. Married and working at a steel mill, we get the notion pretty fast that his marriage has taken a few bumps because of his job's placement. He promises to make things right, but before he can his wife is systematically murdered. In court justice is corrupt and Kyle has to find vengeance in the form of a guard's firearm just outside the courtroom as he kills his wife's murderer in a fit of cold blood. The next we see of Kyle he is a torn weary man on a bus in handcuffs on his way to his new life inside the worst prison man has ever seen. A prison where there is no escape and men fight to the death. This is the premise of "In Hell".

The prison itself is this cold, dark, violent and repulsive rat trap of a place. It feels almost too real. You feel the coldness, the destruction of mankind happening within it's walls through Kyle, the subhuman food and lodging, everything. It's there. Kyle wants out and so will you.

Let me just say that Van Damme's latest efforts have been a mixed bag (and that's being kind). The truth is he's fallen quite a ways from his "Universal Soldier" days and that's what makes "In Hell" such a striking success. This isn't a patterned Van Damme movie. This isn't Van Damme playing Van Damme. The fighting scenes don't even display the usual Van Damme-ish feel to them and that's definitely a good thing. They aren't highly complicated or choreographed. There is no video effects or weird camera angles of any sort to highlight the fighting. It's just raw primitive fighting. No mastering of the martial arts just fisticuffs that are brutal and short to the point.

If you watch your share of b-movies some familiar faces in the supporting cast pop up too. Names like Juan Fernández, Robert LaSardo and real life ex-pro footballer Lawrence Taylor (Any Given Sunday) aptly named prisoner "451" that you'll have to see the film to understand why.

"In Hell" is a real nice chance of pace for Van Damme and for that reason alone, I recommend this movie. Don't get me wrong. "In Hell" is not striking movie-making, but for a DTV prison-farce starring Van Damme of all people it's decent.

Finally Van Damme has done it! After the (train)Disaster movie derailed. he has something he can be proud of. This is one very underrated prison movie,with some nice special FX and a very decent story! the acting is also solid(Van Damme is pretty convincing)and even one of the best performances i've seen in years(in an Action movie)By Mister Lawrence Taylor(one of the greatest Football players ever!!) Who did a great job with the voice over,his voice is very gritty and full of life!!The direction is also very solid(as expected) Ringo Lam is a very good action director, Who always comes up with very clever camera work and usual very innovative fight scenes!!! This is Must See material(once again) for all the Van Damme\prison movie Fans

Van Damme's latest effort on paper reads much like many other films he has done, in which he finds himself in a situation when he must participate in illegally set up fights. This film being set in prison is also particularly similar to Death Warrant. These are really where the similarities end because this is more dramatic and less flashy than those. There are no sweeping Van Damme kicks played in glorious slow motion, he doesn't seem invincible and is not able to summon great amounts of strength to down 7ft behemoths in one punch, in this film he is an ordinary guy. If he fights someone who looks like they could take him, then he will have a tough time, and get beat up.

This film allows JC to play a character with some depth and some emotion, a character who we sympathise with in the way his wife's death effects him. He kills his wife's murderer when he is let free and so goes to jail and we see the way in which his character goes on a downward spiral without his wife. While this film attempts to have a sympathetic character it has such a hackneyed script, full of clichés that it ends having ultimately wasted one of Van Damme's best performances and some classy direction from Ringo Lam. He is a grade above other b-movie directors and this film looks great, he worked with a good cinematographer and editor to make this look well beyond its 15 million or so budget.

There isn't a single surprise in the film and many of the supporting cast are bad but the better actors all produce some good moments. You feel for certain characters, it is a shame that the majority of the crew and cast aren't matches for the more talented members, however it does allow JC to stand out.

The fights are not about being flash they are rough and ready and pack a punch, and are superbly edited. It makes a change for Van Damme but far more watchable than other films like Nowhere to Run which showed no flashy martial arts. The fighting in this is more like proper wrestling.

As with many low budget movies there are problems with the special effects, such as dodgy CGI airplanes and a poor synth score. In the end though the film was an enjoyable watch while not great it featured quality in the direction and with a decent performance by Van Dammes standards, were not talking Academy awards by any means but possibly a Video Premiere award nomination. ***

In Hell, you will find a different Jean-Claude Van Damme. Absent are the overused splits, jump kicks off walls, flips, and his infamous, head-snapping, ballet-like 360* degree jumping spin kicks (I still like them). Instead you find him just using ordinary street fighting techniques, wrestling and getting slammed around half the time. Everyone knows the old saying that a person is the sum of his or her experiences. Well, Van Damme proves it. Kyle LeBlanc (Van Damme)is an American resident alien worker at a Russian engineering plant who plans a vacation with his wife. Tragically, things come crashing down that same evening when his wife is brutally murdered. After the trial results in the killer's acquittal, Kyle, in a fit of rage, guns him down and the guard (by accident). The Russian court unjustly finds him guilty and sentences him to life imprisonment. This is one example of how often too many times politics is thrown into the legal system, American or Russian. Once Kyle sets foot in Kravai (the most notoriously brutal and corrupt prison in Russia), he instantly bears witness to man's inhumanity toward's his fellow man. After being accosted by both violent inmates and sadistic guards, Van Damme slowly turns into a savage monster. The evil warden and his cohorts notices that and forces him to participate in an illegal fighting program. Van Damme not only has to fight for his life, but to also retain his humanity and sanity. I think for a DTV movie Van Damme proved he could be a great actor. He did not play the one-dimensional shallow superhero. In Hell shows us how cruelty can build and at the same time undo a man physically, mentally and spiritually. Here is man who just about reaches the end of his rope, yet he has something to fight for: the memory of his wife still shines on him, in the form of a moth. NFL great Lawrence Taylor does a great job as 451, giving the film the philosophical context. Taylor's 451 reminds me of an ancient proverb: those that harm can teach. While 451 was outwardly a remorseless psychopath, he had in fact held on to what humanity he had left (you will find out how 451 ended in Kravai later). While In Hell is not a silver screen film, it still a great film.

In Hell isn't quite the Oscar winner, but compared to Van Damme's last couple movies (who are we kidding, almost all of his movies), it is a pot of gold.

Sent to life imprisionment for the murder of his wife's killer, he is thrown into the violent world of prision fighting run by the guards. What happens? Watch the movie.

In Hell is shockingly well made due to it not being the typical Van Damme-fare. He shows a wide range of emotion while holding back his martial arts and instead getting beat up in over half the movie. The main reason to see In Hell is to see a damn good Jean Claude Van Damme movie.

8 out of 10

This movie struck me as strange. I am used to a Van Damme as in Kickboxer, Bloodsport and Universal Soldier. And now this. One hardly recognises Van Damme. Seems like he actually is becoming an actor. Though the story is anything but original, it is quite well executed. The acting is above average for a direct-to-video-production. Action scenes are good, quite brutal and graphic - but that's about what I expected - why else would one want to watch a Van Damme movie? Certainly not because of the story. In Van Damme movies the "storyline" so far always was a lame excuse for one good old fashioned action scene after the other.

And that is the strange thing: With this expectation you wont exactly be disappointed, but strangely surprised. This movie has more to offer, especially Van Damme. I'm going as far as to claim that this movie would get better critics and a better reception if it wasn't Van Damme playing the lead. You just aren't used to see Van Damme this way.

That isn't a bad thing, it's just so unfamiliar, unusual. But - Let's get used to it. If this is the direction van Damme is taking, I'm happy with it.

Post the release of Timecop in 1994, or arguably Sudden Death the year after, Jean Claude Van Damme has churned out sub-standard actioners that even his undemanding fans have struggled to praise. His career reaching a nadir with the quite dreadful Derailed in 2002. He was literally stuck in the kind of straight to DVD hell that Steven Seagal has been in for the last 15 years. So it was something of a surprise to find that this 2003 film bucked the trend considerably. Now this is no rocket science head scratcher for the action genre fan, it's riddled with prison movie clichés and is as unoriginal as it gets. But it finds Van Damme filling out a role with more depth than the standard beefcake hero roles he was doing in his sleep. If this was a shift that he personally chose to do after having enough of the "for the money only films?" I'm not quite sure, but the result is a brutalistic action piece that contains possibly his second best performance after the critically praised JCVD in 2008.

The plot is simplicity extreme, Van Damme stars as Kyle LeBlanc, who along with his wife is residing in Russia due to work commitments. His wife is raped and murdered and Kyle is aghast as the Russian courts free the culprit on technicalities and bribery sweeteners. He's not having that so promptly guns down the man and gets sent to a hell hole prison for life. Here violence and sexual assault are the order of the day, with the governor happy to put on brutal fights to the death purely for his, and his friends, entertainment. Kyle is not a violent man but he's forced to become violent just to survive.

Yes it's a pretty formulaic as it sounds, you could run thru about ten prison based movies and find the best bits of them used in here. But it does work because of Van Damme's character. He's a good man thrust into a violent world, he gets bullied, he gets desperate, he is out of his depth. It's here that the film differs in the Belgian's career, for he doesn't flex his martial arts muscles, there's no high kick, slow-mo set pieces here. This sees him fighting normal man style, and this only after going thru a Rocky Balboa type training regime. As expected, the fight scenes are violent and Van Damme is immensely competent executing them. Hell! There's even religious and spiritual metaphors in here! I kid you not. In Hell is a must for action film fans, and certainly a must for Van Damme fans who gave up on him by the late 1990s. You will not be surprised by how the plot unfolds, and a couple of corny scenes drop in to say hello (ghost visitations, dear me), but you hopefully will be surprised at Van Damme's performance. And of course there's always some serious buttock kicking action to chew on as well. 7/10

Not what we expect from Van Damme, most of the time he's getting battered, and when he did fight it was just throwing punches. Saying that it's a watchable movie and probably one of Van Dammes better acting attempts, playing the part of a broken man who cant fight.

Much better then his last movie Derailed and shows Van Damme isn't bowing out yet. Lets just hope his next movie brings us more action and less drama!

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.

IN HELL was a great movie, its 1 of Van Damme better movies. Its just as good as REPLICANT. The acting was very good, especially from Van Damme. The brutal fights were great. I loved it. Though, the movie did feel rushed in the beginning & there were some minor cgi used that was a bit noticable. But overall, this is a must see for Van Damme fans & those who love dark, gritty prison movies. Van Damme has totally redeemed himself after the disaster that was called - DERAILED.

The authors know nothing about Russians prisons, the movie is absolutely cockamamie, has nothing common with the reality. They also don't that the foreign prisoners in Russia have a special prison so the foreigners NEVER live together with Russian criminals. The uniforms in this movie look if they were stolen somewhere in Latin America. Prisoners in Russia also don't work outside the prison. Each kill in Russian prison is a subject of investigation so the prisoners kill each other only if there some very important reasons. Playing soccer is also forbidden in the prisons, contacts between the prisoners are very restricted, no chance for bloody combats etc etc etc. So this movie has Nothing common with the reality.

I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this film, as it was a very hard hitting and brutal drama, which I didn't expect from a Van Damme film. Certain scenes I found profoundly disturbing, but also very gripping and compelling. I think this film deserved more praise than it recieved on it's release, but fans of Van Damme will like it anyway!!! It may also come as a surprise to a more varied movie goer, like it did to me.

After coming home to a murdered wife, Kyle chases after the man who did it. They get arrested and the man walks away scot free, he comes from a wealthy family and has paid off the judge. Kyle can't stand for this, he shoots the man several times right in front of the court house. The judge takes this as a disrespect to the law and human life, sentences him to life in prison. This is in Russia and the prison he goes to is not really a nice one. The warden hosts fights between the inmates and makes money off of them, Kyle soon finds himself tangled in a series of fight matches with some real mean dudes.

I'm a JCVD fan, so my views on his films tend to be a little bias. I give them a little break because...well....it's a JCVD film. You should know going into a film starring the guy, you're going to get little on the acting side and a lot on the kicking side. In Hell flips this around a little bit. Instead, we get JCVD pulling out some acting chops. He mourns his dead wife, is beaten emotionally and physically and has to deal with the harsh realities of prison. He doesn't go above and beyond, but you will get a little bit more out of him here than his usual fare.

Second, the film leaves his splits, 360 spin kicks and other high flying acts at home. In Hell goes for more realistic and gritty fight sequences. There are some moves that belong in a wrestling ring, but for the most part, these guys look like they are beating the living crap out of each other. It makes the viewer feel more for the character, he's not some martial arts guru, he's a guy fighting for his life. Again, it tends to humanize the character a bit and connects more with the audience.

As far as a JCVD film goes, I would rank this one as one of his better efforts. as for as prison movies go, I'll let it slide a little bit. He of course befriends the one guy people seem to be afraid of. The guards treat him worse than the other inmates and he is thrown into isolation more times than we can count. Predictable and clichéd prison bits, but it's expected. You can guess how one big fight scene will go down because of the way he interacted with the guy while thrown in isolation, so the film doesn't throw any surprises our way.

It's also tame on the escape scenes. There are a few, and it never feels like we are on the edge of our seat, wanting them to escape. This is a feeling you need to get from the audience when characters are trying to flee for their lives, this film manages to side step this.

In Hell is a surprisingly decent movie, I'm sure if it starred anyone other than JCVD I would give it a negative review, so take that whichever way you want to.

Quarantine gives you the opportunity to watch those movies that you missed in your time!Here is this movie in Van Damme watched for the first time! The film initially aroused interest, then somehow became boring and monotonous. Russian Russian prison is shown with some dances, accordion, not an accordion, the faces of the guards are clearly not Russian. In general, some nonsense: Van Damme began to fight with the prison system! Escaped from prison after all! For once to see, from nothing to do! Complete nonsense. Complete nonsense.

Van The Man is Back and he just delivers the goods in a different kind of way. I watched HELL (aka In Hell, aka The Savage) yesterday, and i feel much more relieved now. Van Damme had just reached his nadir with DERAILED, and I worried about his next movie efforts. This Ringo Lam vehicle is not bad at all, I mean: competent direction, realistic fights, a surprisingly dark, suffocating atmosphere lingering on, pretty decent acting by Van Damme (whose recent both private and artistic misadventures seem to have helped along a lot); yet the movie, just like any other J.-C. movie, seems to be cliché-bound, but who cares about it anyway? I don' like prison-movies at all, but I must admit that this one, far from being perfect, is pretty entertaining, even a little bit too... angst-ridden Mr. Van D, pleaz, give us just a little smile every now and then

In Russia, the American engineer Kyle LeBlanc (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is temporarily working overseas in a steel mill. His wife Grey LeBlanc (Marnie Alton) and him are in love for each other and Kyle intends to spend some vacation days together with her on the beach. However, Grey is raped and killed by a man when Kyle is coming back home. The killer is arrested, but the corrupt Russian judge absolves him. Kyle makes justice with his own hands and shoots the assassin in the building of the tribunal. He is judged and sent to a life sentence without parole in a violent and corrupt Russian prison. There, he has a journey to hell with his body, fighting a contest called "sparka', and soul, through his rage. His redemption emerges through the memory of his wife. The theme `prison' is very commercial and I do not know how many movies I have seen about brutal prisons: `Midnight Express', `Brubaker', `Undisputed', `The Last Castle', `Mean Machine', `Lock Up' immediately pops in my memory. `Hell' is another good movie about prison, and certainly one of the best of Van Damme filmography. Although being full of clichés, the story is not bad. The choreographies of the fights are very well executed. Even Van Damme has a good performance as a man who becomes blind by his rage and fights against his own demons looking for redemption. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): `Hell'

Believe it or not, this little Van Damme vehicle isn't too bad. Basically, the story revolves around a man who kills his wife's murderer (who got off because of family connections) and is then sent to a tough prison and must learn to survive and deal with an assortment of colorful characters. The warden stages fights to bet on and eventually VD becomes involved, all the while losing his morals. The fights are not the usual VD style; there are no flying kicks or special kung fu maneuvers…it's just brutal street fighting (with a side of wrestling). For being a direct-to-video release, the production all around is quite decent, despite a couple cheesy plot points. If you're a fan of prison flicks, you'll probably enjoy this one.

This is a film that will take many Van Damme buffs by surprise. It is not your typical action film but a surprisingly touching and dramatic turn by Van Damme.

He portrays a heartbroken man who sacrifices his own freedom to avenge the death of his wife. In prison he is subjected to taunts and violence from the fellow inmates as well as soul crushing isolation when he misbehaves or tries to assert himself. It is in these intense moments where Van Damme shines. His non-verbal acting truly shows his range and we experience his pain and anguish throughout.

A refreshing role from Van Damme.

Mr Van Damme gives an oscar performance...No Way! It seems he hasn't been working out for years. A long time ago he used to take off his shirt and make his splits in every given occasion. Why IN HELL is he the only person who's keeping on his shirt? By the way Jean Claude, get a new hair cut! I think the plot was written on a piece of toilet paper: Wife gets killed, husband turns into SAVAGE, is thrown in prison and beats up the bad guys. He is supported by the wise black guy with his worldly wisdoms. The so called 'martial arts'sequences could have been from a bud spencer movie. And what the heck is wrong with the moth? Is there any paranormal spirit beyond? Not to mention the jets flying over the jail! To sum up: Bad script, bad effects and an overall bad performance by the former brussel steel machine! Better luck next time...

At last he delivers, after such Bottom of the barrel movies, like Derailed, which must be one of the worst movies to date. In this one Van Damme makes one of is best roles, almost the best prison movie role since Brad Davis in Midnight express (1978) It´s so much fun, to see some new environments, a russian prison which looks so authentic, everyone plays well, standard ingredients is used very well, Strong brutal violence, sodomizing, no glory.

For the first time ever, Van Damme is beaten up during the whole movie, he tries to committ suicide he sleeps in shit. It´s so unusual to see these kind of scenes with Van Damme.

Ringo Lam´s direction is superb,this one and Maximum risk is the best one´s, both directed by Ringo Lam.

See it and really enjoy.

I gave it an 8 out of 10

A slight twist on the usual turf war films set in prison, but only very slight. Whilst the premise wasn't bad, certain elements just screamed straight-to-DVD. JCVD is on fairly good form, and you get a classic exercise montage as a throwback to all good 80s action movies, but the rest of the cast fall short, mostly due to their characters. The narrator/JCVD's cellmate is a complete rip off of more famous prison films, and his pearls of wisdom don't really align with the nature of this film. There are however some really good fight scenes, which is really why anyone was watching this in the first place. Ultimately, the film is presented by its opening and closing scenes. It starts with something so out of context whilst the opening credits roll that it makes no sense until the film is nearly over, and bizarrely ends with information on the outcome of the prison after the storyline finishes, as if this was based on a true story.

The movie is totally unrealistic with so many facts distorted... The prison is more American than Russian. No strict hierarchy among prisoners which is typical for a Russian prison. No dogs, no handcuffs while walking... Dances, parties and fights - completely impossible, especially when 200 criminals are observed by just 3 guards! Additionally, never ever can a homosexual touch a prisoner in Russia (they will be beaten/killed), nor to be a moderator of the performance.. Apart from these, foreign citizens are held separately from other prisoners, in special prisons. And many-many more. Actors were just unconvincing...and the story itself has little force. 2 out of 10 is more than enough.

I am a fan of Jean-Claude Van Damme, and its more because I can see where he's come from than the repressiable 'Louisiana' accent he has the audiences endure. In every film, including this one, he's a hero, but in this piece, 'In Hell' he's more of a Snake-Plisken from 'Escape from New York', that being an anti-hero.

The film shows a different side of Eastern Europe, one of corruption and Anti-American sentiment which is all too true to be called dramatized in the film. Must of the tempo of this film is well planned, and the story progresses without a hitch. The choice to use this director was excellent, because he is a moody perfectionist. After viewing the featurette, I could see more clearly why I liked this piece so much. A lot of Hollywood fat has been trimmed off of this film in many scenes. The harsh realities of brutal homosexuality are put forth not to show gayness as the true villain, but power and the total abuse of it. Drag queens, jail cell rape scenes, and one scene stripping Van Damme of his wedding ring really strip the viewer of the safe non-incarcerated life.

The soundtrack is excellent, giving that 'Run Lola Run' techno-house feel, making the occasional use of an orchestra well placed. The sound effects in this piece are good to notice as well, because in some scenes sound plays more of a part of the film than the shots themselves. The shots are very tight, and are obscured at times because of the small studio space used but are perfect for the feeling of claustrophobia on so many levels. One scene even has a solitary confinement that Van Damme endures in where the floor has a release sewer flowing brown through his cell. This is contrasted by an excellent CGI element that makes the film probably work better than if it weren't included. A simple moth.

Aside from the moth, the film has a good cast of actors with well worked characters, which was my primary concern in renting this piece. I didn't want to be let down yet again by some poor action flick that had bad audio, video, and high school C movie acting. Some of the worst possible things that could happen do to everyone in this film, which is a constant reminder of why pain is entertainment, and why this film actually worked well.

Fine flick with more than a semblance of an enjoyable and entertaining story without being excessively cerebral , including thrills , chills, spectacular fighting , mayhem and prison revolts . In spite of its violence, and adding some wholly as well as corny moments , this is an acceptable yarn with interesting storyline enhanced by the romantic relationship between Van Damme and wife depicted by means of flashbacks with full of feeling touches and freshness . Jean Claude Van Damme is pretty well as a brave and two-fisted hero , an American working overseas in Russia named Kyle LeBlanc showing his gentle/tough side and who learns his wife has been attacked , as he rushes home to find that he's too late. But the murderer who killed his wife (Marnie Alton) is found not guilty on lack of evidence , so Kyle takes the law into his own hands . He is sentenced to life in prison without parole . Kyle must survive a dangerous prison where hardened killers battle to the death for the wardens' entertainment . As he attempts his freedom by illegal fighting , then his rage unleashed . Kyle begins to break and go insane, so he is forced into these fights because of the wardens know he is a champion and a sure thing . He must confront brutal criminals and their cruel prison chief , General Hruschov (Lloyd Battista) . Meantime, Kyle's cellmate 451 (Lawrence Taylor) starts to make him think what he struggles for . Eventually , Kyle thanks to 451 , learns he must fight another battle : the fight to find redemption and for his own inner peace . It is the only way he can become the man he once was .

This violent film contains thriller , suspense , action , tension and spectacular/well choreographed fights . Entertaining movie , thanks to tight pace , skillful edition and well mounted combats . It's tense and exciting , at time glossy enough action movie and the breathtaking struggles and combats are well done . Depicting the hard and violent conditions of a Russian prison in which our starring is sent and where the wardens amuse themselves by putting on fights and filling their pockets with money by betting on the bloody combats . Jean Claude is nice in this middling budget picture as a valiant hero who killed the man to avenge his wife's death . Support cast is attractive , such as : Lawrence Taylor as the philosophic and strange inmate 451 , Lloyd Battista as ruthless General Hruschov , Carlos Gómez as Tolik and Marnie Alton as gorgeous wife . Furthermore , two secondary actors regular in prison and action thrillers : Robert LaSardo and Juan Fernandez , both of whom use to play violent prisoners , killers panderers and other mobsters .

Appropriate musical score fitting to action movie , as well as atmospheric cinematography by cameraman John Aronson . The motion picture was professionally directed by Ringo Lam . In 2015 , Hong Kong director Ringo Lam received the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award at the 14th New York Asian Film Festival. He was a craftsman who made a trilogy for Van Damme : Maximum Risk , Replicant and In Hell . His film City on Fire (1987) was the inspiration for the plot and some of the scenes in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs (1992) . Ringo was a a nice Chinese director who recently passed away , and filmmaker for Jackie Chan : Double dragon . And was hired in US for Jean Claude Van Damme vehicles . He also directed ¨On fire¨ trilogy : the first is titled ¨City on fire¨ , the second titled ¨Prison on fire¨ and the third titled ¨ Prison on fire 2¨. Pointlessly energetic and excessively violent , this In Hell (2003) will appeal the true devotee of main actor . It's a must see for Van Damme fans . Rating : 6/10 . Decent prison movie .

I think JCVD just wanted to work on a movie. The best he could find is this prison movie/ brutal fight scenes flick. Competent, but just not that interesting. A pretty complicated and ridiculous story for what is just a flimsy backdrop for JCVD to kick ass in brutal fight scenes. Those brutal fights are pretty awesome and JCVD pulled in a great performance, so this flick does have some things going for it. Lawrence Taylor is very competent as a fellow prisoner of JCVDs and I was glad to see him.

Check it out, just don't be surprised if it winds up near the bottom on your Van Damme favorite film list. You rule if you have a Van Damme favorite film list.