He will never be mistaken for an "A" list star, but Jean-Claude Van Damme is certainly showing improvement in his acting ability. Despite the fact that this is your standard prison film, with lots of violence, there is an undercurrent here that makes it a good story, and Van Damme does a good job as a man who gets off track and finds his way back. Like 451 says, "Without evil, we would never recognize good." Lawrence Taylor, formerly of the NY Giants, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the Shaft remake and Wrestlemania, did a credible job as 451, the lifer who philosophizes and, in the end, helps Kyle.Plenty of laughs provided by Juan Fernández and his gypsy band of transvestites.Come on, check it out, you know you want to.

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

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.

This might possibly be one of the best films I've ever seen Van Damme in. I understand the legendary 'Bloodsport' remains the most popular of Van Damme's works but "In Hell" in my opinion at least should rival 'Bloodsports' popularity. The story of a man (Van Damage) who murders his wifes murderer in cold blood and gets sent to a Russian prison that specializes in torture, brutality and the usual host of atrocities that commonly occur at corrupt prisons. Through all the beatings, embarrassments, tests in courage and dignity, Van Damme creates an entire turnaround from the pushover that he once was. The film is not for the weak of heart, the brutality in this film is so strong you can practically feel it while watching it. That to me shows how good of a film "In Hell" truly is, it is very captivating, which is not usual of your typical Van Damme fare. I recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of Van Dammes films, and prison-related films as well. Good stuff.