Alluding liberally to the troubled lives of Rubin Carter and Mike Tyson, this prison boxing drama from Walter Hill exemplifies the director's predilection for studies of no-nonsense tough guys taking care of business. Hill rattles through the preamble, which witnesses both the sentencing of heavyweight champion Ving Rhames for rape and lifer Wesley Snipes attracting the attention of wily mobster Peter Falk after he whups a white supremacist in Sweetwater Prison's "combat cage". When the inevitable rumble arrives, it's unrivalled in its brutality and appreciation of a much maligned sport. Snipes keeps his head down, but Rhames excels as the cocky champ.

Monroe Hutchens is the heavyweight champion of Sweetwater, a maximum security prison. He was convicted to a life sentence due to a passionate crime. Iceman Chambers is the heavyweight champion, who lost his title due to a rape conviction to ten years in Sweetwater. When these two giants collide in the same prison, they fight against each other disputing who is the real champion.