So as I am trying to figure out what to write about next, a great title pinged in my brain. This is a flick that has been in heavy rotation for me since I originally saw it all those years ago. It has an actor that I am realizing is in a few of my favorite flicks, but I will talk about him later in the article. I am trying to determine when would have been the first time I had seen it. I was not lucky to have seen this gem in the theater, but I also don’t recall if I ever saw this at my parents’ house. My memory is a bit vague on the first viewing but I am pretty sure it was in my buddy Chris’s bedroom. Here is the thing about that room. I was probably watching this flick for sure on VHS and he would have been cranking away on some computer game. The trick is… what computer game? Would it have been Ultima Online? That doesn’t seem old enough. Could it have been another video game? I cannot really really remember. But this flick is awesome and I will, moving forward, thank Chris for showing it to me.
This movie starts out right in the beginning with a shock. You are watching a military progression taking place and out of nowhere a soldier walks up to the main stage and shoots the man on stage. This is your introduction to John Robbins. A man convicted of killing a high-ranking official after being ordered to kill civilians in Benghazi, Libya. You are immediately thrown into a prison facility and quickly learn it is a Level 6 after he has escaped from 2 through Level 5. Let’s just say even in this Level 6, Robbins is going to try to escape. He is told by another inmate that the worst prisoners get sent to the island of Absolom, a place where no one escapes. After getting the upper hand on the warden, John Robbins is sent to Absolom. He and other prisoners are dropped off in the middle of an island and that is where the real fun begins. He is going to have to survive first, before even thinking about getting off the island. And the next hour plus is damn entertaining. No spoilers and no more details, because the juicy stuff about this movie is the cast and crew.
Let’s start with the amazing cast. I introduced John Robbins. He is played by the late, great Ray Liotta. This is a few years after Good Fellas and almost 10 from Something Wild. Crazy to think he was not even nominated for Good Fellas. But he did win an Emmy for a guest star on ER. But not Good Fellas. So weird. Anyway, he is awesome in this role and you can see that he can pull off the action star, weird he did not do more. Let’s intro the warden. Played by the also late Michael Lerner. Once you see his face you immediately know who he is and will want to punch it. Most famously nominated for a supporting actor role in Barton Fink, but I always loved him as the boss in Elf. Let’s round out a couple more of the cast. Then there are the Outsiders, which is a group of prisoners that rule the jungles of this island. Let’s just say not the best group of guys, but the look and costumes are awesome. The leader of that group is Marek, played by the great Stuart Wilson. And the face is totally recognizable. But what do you know him from? One of my favorite roles he played was Don Rafael Montero from The Mask of Zorro. Great Actor. And lastly the leader of the more passive group of prisoners on the island, the father. Played by one of my acting idols Lance Henriksen. This guy is in everything and I cannot even begin to list his films. But lets just say when I transition my writing to talking about Actors, he will be the first. Who else is in the cast? How about Johnny Drama, Kevin Dillon. How about Baron Harkonnen from the Sci-Fi Channel Dune movies, Ian McNeice. I also love that he is the voice of the Vogon commander in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (my favorite book). And finally, the man who sits on the cover of my book. The timeless Ernie Hudson. No filmography is needed. The last person to mention is just a random hotel guard in Marek’s camp that if you have a good eye you will recognize. It is played by David Wenham. And again not a name that you will immediately recognize, but that is my job to educate you. He is Faramir in the Lord of the Rings and Dilios in 300. You know the guy that is the Narrator.
Let’s talk about the crew that is responsible for this fun flick. The director is New Zealand master Martin Campbell. This man has made a handful of gems in his career. He was responsible for GoldenEye and Casino Royale, so 2 of the better Bond flicks. He makes the 2 Antonio Banderas Zorro flicks, and he brings Stuart Wilson in for the first one. Love those movies. And now some things I am not sure you know he did. He directs the made-for-TV movie Cast a Deadly Spell with Fred Ward. That is brilliant and a must-see. He also makes the BBC Series Edge of Darkness, which he wins a BAFTA for, and then the Mel Gibson movie which is also damn solid. And lastly, my favorite movie after this he worked on The Foreigner starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan. This movie I watch at least once a month since it came out. AMAZING! The two producers on this flick are pretty substantial as well. The first is Jake Eberts. And unless you are a movie nut like me you may not know who he is. But let me name a few movies he helped produce. The first film he backed was the Watership Down animated film which is awesome. But now the list.
1981 Chariots of Fire & Escape from NY
1982 Pink Floyd The Wall & Gandhi
1984 This is Spinal Tap & The Killing Fields
1986 The Name of the Rose
1988 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
1989 Driving Miss Daisy
The list is insane and that is me stopping at 1989. But let’s just say he produced all the gems. Sadly passed from cancer over 10 years ago. And now for the other producer. Some lady named Gale Anne Hurd. If I said wife to James Cameron and Brian De Palma in the 80s and ’90s, that would be the least memorable thing she has done in her career. She started as an assistant to Roger Corman, which I think is her first job in Hollywood. But then goes on to help write the screenplay for The Terminator which I believe is her only screenwriting work. But she produces The Terminator, Aliens, and The Abyss with Cameron. She also helps produce Terminator 2, the Hulk films, the Punisher films (not the Lundgren one), and Armageddon. Insane list. And if that is not enough, she has been the main producer on AMC’s The Walking Dead since it started. The last crew member I will mention is who was in charge of the music. And I dont’ ever recall being blown away by it, but when doing some research into this I realized it was Graeme Revell. This guy has touched so many classic films in and around horror and sci-fi movies it is insane. Do yourself a favor and look up his list. I will call out The Crow as being one of my favorites he worked on. And not the soundtrack with all the killer bands on it, but the orchestral stuff he has going when that is not playing. Just amazing.
And now at this point, I call out my favorite parts of this flick. Some of the quotes.
First prize is a chance to live, second prize… you really don’t want to hear what the second prize is.
I could use a man like you! A position on my staff, perhaps… we appear to have an opening!
I have removed all the heads of state…
…I really want to be in charge!
Also love this line from the warden: You have come here from all over the world because society has no further use for you. The international prison system has given up all hopes of your rehabilitation. This place will now be your holding pen until your death, because death is the only way out. There is no chance of reprieve here, no possibility of escape. You are condemned. Either accept it… or die…
Just an absolutely great flick that I really did not give much about. From beginning to end I love it and like I said will always watch. Again, thanks Chris, for popping this in the first time. Looks like it is free on Tubi which gives you no excuse to not watch it. And finally saves me $4 bucks for the person that wants me to pay for all the other crap I have made them watch.
Oh, last fact about this flick. I read years ago, that Ernie Hudson took this role because after the death of Brandon Lee on The Crow he needed to get away from people and with this film being made in Australia, I am sure it also succeeded in that. Also I realized this flick Hurd and Henricksen would have worked together again for the 3rd time, but 10 years after The Terminator and Aliens. Super cool.
