In Hell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| In Hell | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ringo Lam |
| Starring | Jean Claude Van Damme |
| Release date(s) | 2003 |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
In Hell is a film starring Jean Claude Van Damme as Kyle, an American working in Russia who is sent to prison for murdering the man who attempted to rape and later killed his wife. The prison warden forces the prisoners to fight one another in no holds barred battles.
Kyle goes through some harsh times in the prison. He is first thrown into solitary confinement, where a man of sorts makes a loud banging noise, in which Kyle responds to every so often with a bang of his own. The whole system is corrupt, mostly with Russian Mafia, and Kyle is subject to beatings from them. One day, Andre, a Russian mobster who continually assaults Kyle, makes a threat to Kyle, and Kyle snaps. He jumps on Andre, and beats on him until he is dragged off and taken to a solitary confinement again. During that time, Kyle begins to embrace the anger that's been building in him, as well as working out, improving his physical well-being. Finally, Kyle is thrown in the pit against Andre. After a fierce fight, it seems that Andre is going to finish off Kyle, until Kyle delivers a low blow, then bites Andre on the neck, killing him by severing one of his arteries in his neck and bleeding to death.
Over a period of time, Kyle is thrown into more and more fights, winning every one, making the guards rich, and losing connection on who he really is. His anger gets a hold of him, and Kyle is a new man. 451, Kyle's dangerous cell-mate, questions Kyle on if he knows who he really is, and Kyle doesn't reply. Kyle learns of a fighter being exchanged from another prison, and he is schedueled to fight him. One of Kyle's only close friends of the film is killed by that fighter, and thanks to his friend's last words, Kyle refuses to fight when the time comes.
For the humiliation and money lost, Kyle is hand-cuffed to a tower in the jail square for all to see, where he stays for several days until he decides to cooperate. Eventually, he is taken into the infirmiray, where he sees his wife's spirit, and essentially changes back to his normal self. After Kyle is all rested up and healed, he is taken in the middle of the prison, in front of all the prisoners, and the guards attempt to make an example out of him. They bring out a monster of a man, Milos, who is wearing a leather mask. Milos goes after Kyle, but Kyle bangs on the wall, and Milos replies with banging on the wall as well, recognizing that Kyle was the one that he heard all this time. In response, Milos holds his head between his hands as if saying thank you. Infuriated, the guards go to kill Kyle, but Milos defends him, taking the shot in the process, and the prisoners go on a riot. Milos soon dies, but not before clutching Kyle's hand in death. In respect, Kyle puts his coat over him. Meanwhile, the riot is soon contained, with the loss of 7 inmates and a guard. 451 and Kyle then develop a plan for Kyle to escape, but it calls for Kyle to fight one last time.
The last fight is between Kyle and the exchanged fighter. Kyle desposes of him, as well as a Russian Mafia leader. Afterwards, the guards plan to kill Kyle, but 451 and Kyle have other plans. They kill the two guards, Kyle takes one of their uniforms, and 451 gives Kyle a record of every death and every murder in the prison for the past 20 years, evidence he needs to take the prison down. With this, Kyle escapes, 451 murders the warden, and within a few months, the crooked prison is shut down.
[edit] Jean Claude van Damme's Return
To many, In Hell is considered Van Damme's best films to-date, and a new way for us to see Van Damme. Instead of seeing the "beat up the bad guys and get the girl" deal, Van Damme, takes plenty of beatings, and soon enough his anger transforms the very person he is. It also shows that Van Damme is breaking away from depending on his martial arts skills to make or break his films, as his acting is great in this film. His next film, Wake of Death, is also a prime example of this.
Quotes from the Film 451: Do you even know who you are? Probably not.
451: People say one thing and do another. It's all just bullshit. Don't waste words. Just best to not say anything.
Kyle: Yeah, OK, shut up.
451: Without evil, we would never recognize good.
[edit] External links
- In Hell at the Internet Movie Database
