Film Review: Undisputed (2002)

There is hardly any sight sadder than boxer in the ring being unaware that his time has passed. That might look very much like latter stage of the career of Walter Hill, screenwriter and director whose films often looked like they could have been action genre classics only if made a decade or two earlier. One of those is his 2003 film Undisputed.

The plot begins after George “The Iceman” Chambers (played by Ving Rhames) gets convicted of rape and receives prison sentence that would serve in Sweetwater, penitentiary situated in the middle of desert. Chambers soon learns that hardened criminals with whom he shares roof aren’t too impressed with his status or fighting skills. Incarcerated mob boss Mendy Ripstein (played by Peter Falk), on the other hand, sees opportunity to exploit Chambers thanks to prison having its own boxing competition, which is not only popular among inmates, but also source of great profit for betting syndicate. The undisputed prison champion is Monroe Hutchen (played by Wesley Snipes), inmate who used to be aspiring boxer before being sentenced to life without parole for murdering man who had slept with his girlfriend. The tension between Hutchen and Chambers is already there, so Ripstein doesn’t have much problem in setting up highly anticipated match.

Boxing was Walter Hill’s favourite sport and also a subject his period drama Hard Times, big hit which had started his celebrated directorial career. His screenplay for Undisputed, co-written by David Giler, was obviously inspired by real life story of Mike Tyson. Both main actors, Ving Rhames and Wesley Snipes, took their roles very seriously and went through months of rigorous training to get their bodies in shape and develop enough boxing skills to provide attractive match in the end. Unfortunately, their efforts weren’t matched by Hill and Giler who apparently forgot that the audience in this sort of films needs someone to root for. Character of Chambers is presented as arrogant and dislikeable celebrity who learns hard lessons only at the end. His opponent Hudgens is presented as blank canvass or at least someone that looks like he belongs behinds bars for the rest of his life. Supporting characters, like mobster played by sometimes overenthusiastic Peter Falk, can’t fill that void and Hill is too much focused on action and need to wrap his film under hour and half to develop characters and plot. The result is utterly disappointing film which, not very surprisingly, failed at the box office. It was somewhat better situation on home video market, resulting in three direct-to-video sequels with British martial artists Scott Adkins in main role.

RATING: 3/10 (+)

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