Sometime in the near future that island in San Francisco Bay is being used for what God intended, a federal prison once again. But now it's a high tech new and improved Alcatraz with Tony Plana as the warden. It's still an unbreakable no escape facility, but no one ever counts on someone breaking into prison.
Which is what Morris Chestnut, Nia Peeples and an assorted gang of body armored thugs do when hijacker Bruce Weitz is about to be executed. It seems that Weitz who has cleaned up quite a bit since he portrayed Detective Mick Belker on Hill Street Blues, has gone and buried a small fortune in gold bullion which he robbed back in the day resulting in several Treasury agents being killed. Which is why Weitz is on death row.
But Chestnut's helicopter which is his escape route crashes in a blinding rainstorm, we get a hostage situation which also involves a Supreme Court Justice in the person of Linda Thorson. Back before she got to the high court, Thorson was the judge who tried and sentenced Weitz and she's there as a witness to the execution that gets delayed.
Fortunately for all concerned Steven Segall is in the joint with his criminal buddy Ja Rule and he organizes the cons to resist.
People who go to see Steven Segall movies go for the action and violence and not a coherent and realistic plot. The action is plenty as Segall goes through the film in a style that makes Sylvester Stallone look like John Barrymore.
If that's what your taste in film is, go for it.