5/5 One of his best
  by G. Thomas (Cape Cod,Mass)
I was surprised to see this movie and can't believe I hadn't seen it before now.
Very good acting on Van Dammes part.Nice to see him take some beatings rather than always handing them out.
All in all its seemed like this movie is something that could happen in real life and that aspect made the movie more interesting.

5/5 CLASSIC JCVD
  by WONKA (Lexington, Kentucky)
Pretty pumped on this collectors edition disc. It comes in a zippy steel casing and looks cool sitting next to my other dvd's. I guarantee you will appreciate JCVD in another vein after viewing this film. And it is a film not just a movie. JCVD gives one of his best performances in this gripping thriller. He plays a guy whose wife is killed by a drugged lunatic, is sent to jail for killing the lunatic, and then has to fight in a crazed fighting leauge set up by the warden. It's sort of like JCVD's version of SHAWSHANK, powerful but action packed. Definite must have for any action fan.

4/5 Don't drop the soap (p.2)! Van Damme's Best Acting Job!
  by Jason (Backwater, Alabama)
The Jean Claude Van Damme Review Matrix (JCVD-RM)

1. Who is he? Kyle, a foreign inmate in a corrupt Russian prison
2. Which family member/friend must be avenged? Odd for a JCVD flick, his avenging happens early when he unleashes his inner Samuel L. Jackson in A Time to Kill on a unibrowed assailant who previously gutted JCVD's wife
3. Does he take his shirt off? Even in the shower scene JCVD doesn't strip.
4. Does he have sex with a C-List actress? No, but he almost has sex with a C-List actor.
5. Is there a tournament? Yes. Prisoners do battle and the warden's buddies bet on the outcome.
6. Is training needed for this tournament? Absolutely. And while in "the hole" he has plenty of time for pull-ups, push-ups, and leg-raises.
7. Does he do the splits in training or in the tournament? For some reason JCVD is portrayed as frail, so he can't show his ability to do the splits.
8. Does he punch someone in the balls? Oh, you know it! What guy, who doesn't know how to fight, who's stuck in a prison death-match, wouldn't connect his heel bone to another prisoner's bone?
9. Does he do a series of flying or 360 kicks? Warning! Absolutely no flying kicks in this movie!
10. Is his enemy unbeatable? Neither his physical nor metaphorical enemy stands a chance.
11. Does he overcome an injury or other hindrance? Just mental instability
12. Does he win? It's JCMFVD!!! He eventually owns the prison!

Essentially it's a cross between Star Trek VI (where Kirk kicked the alien in the knee/balls), a classic episode of "The A-Team" where B.A. gets purposely put in a prison to uncover a warden-controlled inmate fighting scandal, a Russian version of The Shawshank Redemption, the concubine scenes from Conan the Barbarian, the shower scene from Victory, and one specific scene from Interview with the Vampire. Just trust me.

The major characters seem like a collection of mental patient professional wrestlers. One looks like Machine from 8MM (mask included), but sounds like Jodie Foster from Nell. Another is an aggressive rapist who looks like an L.A. cholo, and forcibly sodomizes a newbie who is only kept alive to get corn-holed by fight champs. The final oddball is Inmate 451 (Lawrence Taylor), a psychotic arsonist (Get it?! 451!?!) who murders his cellmates and waxes poetic about the morality lessons of prison, survival, and humanity.

Without flying kicks and the splits, this one is less JCVD than most others. However, it's an honest attempt by JCVD to play a role deeper than his norm. Nonetheless, the movie incorporates the most enticing pieces of other action films, and delivers an interesting, albeit predictable plot. By normal standards it's pretty ridiculous, but JCVD standards are different. However, JCVD displays great range as a man who decays inside a deplorable situation, yet finds the willpower to eventually overcome adversity (especially during his completely insane moments).

Highly Recommended.

5/5 Above average acting by Van Damme!!
  by Shiloh Kremer
In his latest movies, Van Damme has shifted toward suspense and drama, which makes his characters more believable. In Hell is without a doubt one of the most tear jerking movies I have seen in a while due to Van Damme's powerful screen presence. In this movie, Van Damme slowly breaks down mentally until he is dirty with an unkept beard. In fact, he looses touch with reality to the point that even the movie's villians look at him horrified and shocked!! In Hell is more of a thriller than a mindless martial arts video. Van Damme is following in the footsteps of Jet LI, Jackie Chan, and my man Ho Chung Tao (AKA Bruce LI) who are great actors in their own right. One element that an above average actor must have is vulnerability.

That is my major gripe about Steven Seagal's movies. HE almost always looks the same-his hair, his wardrobe. But the big flaw of Seagal's movies is that his characters are "perfect", with no flaws that most people have at least to a minor extent. On the other hand, Van Damme is not afraid to play roles that show weakness or vulnerablities in human nature. Even Jet Li and Jackie Chan have played alcholics and other flawed personality traits in which they had to battle within themselves to finally defeat their enemies. In many films, Jet LI also makes amends to those in which he has wronged.
Van Damme is showing an ability to take risks with his acting by playing roles that show weaknesses in himself and his characters. Very moving, powerful performance by Van Damme!!
All Van Damme needs is a good director and producer to compliment his new vision of more "realistic" acting to continually deliver high quality movies to his fans.
Above average acting, good choreography, and a believable plot make this a suspense thriller well worth watching. I give this movie a 5 star rating.

4/5 always a fan of 'in hell'
  by Shaun Collier (San Diego, California)
I don't know what it is about "In Hell" that I've continued to like all these years. I don't watch alot of fight movies by jean-claude, or by anyone as a matter of fact...but this one sticks with me. it's your typical tough guy fight movie, acting is okay, plot is pretty straightforward, as most action/fighthing movies are.

I gave this movie 4 stars because I believe it was well done, the action scenes made up for the dry plot! Definently a must see. Obviously, it's more of a guys movie. Yeah.