In Hell (2003)

"WITHOUT EVIL WE WOULD NEVER RECOGNIZE GOOD".

Description:
A man must survive a prison where hardened criminals battle to the death for the wardens' entertainment.

Review:
In Hell is a 2003 Action Drama starring Jean-Claude Van Damme that's surprisingly watchable. Van Damme plays Kyle Leblanc a man sent to a Russian prison after the killing his wife's murderer. Leblanc is sentenced to life in this run down prison where the warden arranges illegal fights.

Van Damme takes a departure from his usual tough guy who kicks ass in prison like Death Warrant and instead is a troubled mourning prisoner who sees his wife's image as he descends into madness while in solitary confinement. Of course the story becomes predictable as Van Damme becomes the top fighter and the surrounding actors are forgettable including former football star Lawrence Taylor. Similar to the Undisputed series and as serious as Lock-Up, In Hell is a great turn for Van Damme which sets you up for his performance just a few years later in JCVD. Do yourself a favor and peep this shit sometime.