In this action-packed sequel to Half Past Dead, long-time inmate Twitch is transferred to a tougher prison than Alcatraz, claiming it's for his lady but harboring grander motives. There, he clashes with Burke, a bulky prisoner who doesn't suffer fools gladly, and gets entangled in a brewing gang war between the black and Hispanic inmates that escalates into a hostile takeover of the prison. When the real killer, leader of the Hispanics Cortez, takes Twitch's girlfriend and Burke's daughter hostage, the situation becomes even more complicated.