Review: Undisputed II: Last Man Standing

Michael Jai White stars as George ‘Iceman’ Chambers, disgraced former Heavyweight boxing champ now reduced to shonky TV advertorial spots in the arse end...er...in places like Russia. It is here that ‘Iceman’ (who was convicted of raping a girl in the first film) gets framed for drug trafficking despite having zero history of it- Why not just find another girl to cry rape? He is sent to a hellhole Russian prison where he is ‘encouraged’ to participate in an illegal fight tournament bet heavily on by the Russian mob. The current champ of this prison tournament is a big, mean MMA-fighting Russian named Yuri Boyka (Scott Adkins), not exactly the most charming or communicative fella. But then, Chambers ain’t exactly Mr. Fun himself, refusing to fight until given zero choice. And even then he’s not gonna like it. Mark Ivanir turns up as colourful, brutal Russian mobster Gaga, Ben Cross is a junkie prisoner whom Chambers shares a cell with, Eli Danker plays a grizzled, wheelchair-bound prisoner (and former Russian Special Forces guy) whom Chambers also befriends.

Walter Hill’s “Undisputed” was a fine, minimalist B-movie that blended prison drama with boxing movie. This 2006 sequel from director Isaac Florentine (“Ninja” and “The Shepherd”, the former with Adkins in the lead, and a henchman in the latter) is really good. For a sequel, it’s very good (and better than the first film). For a fight movie, it’s terrific, must-see stuff. Don’t get me wrong, the film is certainly not without flaw; White’s presence in Russia just doesn’t seem right, it’s too contrived. Giving Adkins a stamp-collecting hobby is a little too cute a reminder of the toothpick-building hobby Wesley Snipes had in the first film. I’m also not sure how effective White’s martial arts would be when his trainer is in a wheelchair. I mean, I’m in a wheelchair myself, and believe me, I can’t kick anyone’s arse (I do aim for the groin, though, just to give you the heads up) let alone train someone on how to. Those are minor complaints in a film that gets all the main things right for the type of film it is. It could be the best tournament-based martial-arts flick since “Bloodsport” in 1987. And that’s the best way to look at the film, in comparison to the other films in the martial-arts tournament flick subgenre. I’ll grade the film with that mindset as well, in case you think it’s a touch high.

What the film certainly does get right are its two main stars, and some seriously impressive fight scenes that ultimately put it over the first film. One of the best things about the fights aside from their vivid brutality is that Florentine keeps the stylistic flourishes to a minimum, meaning he just lets these guys kick arse on screen. In fact, that’s what the film’s title should’ve been: “Scott Adkins Kicks Arse!”. The final fight in particular is terrific stuff. One could argue that it’s a bit of a shame that White’s character dictates that his fighting style is mostly kept to boxing whilst everyone else gets to go all MMA and kickboxing (especially given his versatile talents), but he eventually gets to learn a few kickboxing/UFC-style moves.

I’ve been waiting for Scott Adkins to have just that one big breakout role in order for him to become a huge star. After seeing this film and the subsequent “Undisputed III: Redemption”, I’ve changed my mind a little. The guy already is a star, it’s just that mainstream Hollywood haven’t got the memo yet and possibly never will. Maybe mainstream action movies just aren’t what they used to be, and thus there’s little place for Adkins. Cast as the surly Russian (Ivan Drago? He’s a pussy compared to Adkins’ Uri Boyka, a man with whom not to fuck), this guy’s the real f’n deal, and a rock-solid actor too for the genre. In the right role, he’s charismatic and magnetic, and shows once again here an aptitude for accents (He’s a Brit who played Americans in “Ninja” and “Stag Night” completely convincingly). This is one such role, as Boyka, whilst ferocious and imposing in competition and out of it, is not a one-dimensional commie behemoth. There’s a real person in there, behind all the bone-crushing and menacing glares. The film actually mostly belongs to African-American actor Michael Jai White (“Black Dynamite” himself), in the role previously played by Ving Rhames. White, like Adkins, should bloody well be a star by…well, ten years ago really. He’s a better actor than Adkins, has charisma oozing out of every pore, he’s got the looks for the ladies, and he’s also a black-belt in seven forms of martial-arts, including wushu and Tae Kwon Do. He’s a fine replacement for the imposing and charismatic Ving Rhames, but in this film, ‘Iceman’ is a bit different. For starters, he seems innocent of his crimes this time. Sure, he’s as surly and arrogant as ever, but he also goes through a kind of transformation in the film. I wouldn’t say he becomes a nice guy, but certainly not entirely selfish. A little from column A and a little from column B, perhaps. White sells this perfectly organically, it doesn’t seem forced or unlikely at all. Look out for Ben Cross slumming it as a junkie prisoner. I don’t know why his career never quite took off (No, he’s not a great actor but neither is Will Smith), but he’s here and quite solid.

This is just a tournament movie set in a prison, at the end of the day, not “Citizen Kane”. However, it may well be the “Citizen Kane” of its sub-genre, if “Bloodsport” doesn’t already have that distinction. It’s certainly hard not to enjoy a film where criminal rap sheets are read out like sports ‘vital statistics’. Hilarious. With a screenplay by James Townsend and David N. White (the latter going on to write the next film, “Undisputed III: Redemption”) that would be even better minus the prison movie clichés. Such a shame, then, that only die-hards of the genre are likely to have seen this film. If they haven’t already, martial arts movie fans definitely owe it to themselves to see this flick, it’s got some really terrific stuff on display. Most others need not apply, but it’s your loss.

Rating: B+