Worshipped by his fans for years, Isaac Florentine has build up his excellent reputation within movie business, but is still waiting for his big breakthrough. One reason for this surely is the fact that even his most successful films, “US Seals II” and “Special Forces”, only attract a certain audience – the B action community.
With “Undisputed II: Last Man Standing” this could change, because the sequel to Walter Hill’s boxer film starring Ving Rhames and Wesley Snipes has become his movie with the most mainstream features up till now. For a good reason New Line bought the rights very early and is at the time working on a high quality DVD with a lot of features, but we still have to wait a little while for it.
My expectations were high, I was really looking forward to it” and Isaac Florentine did it again. “Undisputed II: Last Man Standing” continues the ongoing rise of the talented director and if his next project won’t be financed with a budget around 20 million dollars, I don’t know why. Besides Dolph Lundgren’s convincing “The Mechanik” this is the second film the fans of b-action movies can celebrate this year. But it was the time for it as “Special Forces” was three full years ago.
The audience needn’t draw many comparisons to Walter Hill’s original because script wise the plot is told again by David N. White (“Special Forces”) and James Townsend (“Belly of the Beast”, “Out of Reach”) with a few variations, but Isaac Florentine and fight choreographer J.J. Perry present it much more energetic. Although I am a fan of Ving Rhames (“Sin”, “Dawn of the Dead”)/Wesley Snipes (“Demolition Man”, “Blade”) as well, Scott Adkins (“Black Mask 2: “City of Masks”, “Special Forces”) and Michael Jai White (“Spawn”, “Universal Soldier: The Return”) are two first class martial artists, who put all their skills into the film and battle each other without mercy. What a dynamic and energy there is in these fights. Unbelievable that Florentine can reach an even higher level in comparison his earlier films, which also are rich of furious fights.
Of course it is Michael Jai White’s turn to play George Chambers, who as a former boxing champion even has to do commercials for vodka in Russia in order to make a living. He is still arrogant, vain and stubborn he doesn’t get much sympathy with his overdone stardom. After he surprises some thieves in his hotel room and is beaten unconscious from behind, the alarmed police finds hidden drugs within his luggage. To them the case is immediately clear and Chambers has to go to jail. But in there, there already is a champ: Uri Boyka (Adkins, with a Russian accent!).
Scott Adkins as Uri Boyka in Undisputed 2
White and Adkins are pure fighting machines with unbelievable charisma. At least Adkins should receive some higher rate offers for leading roles in his mailbox after his performance as the threatening, unpredictable Uri Boyka as it doesn’t stay at simply at the checking the opponent out within the prison. Furthermore his acting skills are unusually trained for the b action genre. Michael Jai White opposes, constantly cussing, with coolness and various one-liners and enjoys his first big leading role in the recent years visibly. Until it comes to the first fight between the two exceptional athletes, each of them shall only fight in short confrontations. A look on the upcoming attractions is delivered by Florentine in smaller brawls and fights of Boyka. He fights for the gambling mafia, which also bribes the warden and his men, in underground tournaments and always stomps his opponents into the ground ruthlessly.
It is hard to describe what is going on in the ring all the time, you have to see it yourself. No matter whether Adkins fights against better sparring partners or White, the fights have an unbelievable impact and the speed of the punch exchanges is immensely high. The well-placed used of slow and fast motion creates the rights aesthetic and the blood gushes from faces in small rivers. The fights are quite hard, as Adkins always nearly beats his opponents to death. Longer sequences with various moves in one take can be seen as well acrobatic kicks and jumps. It is furious what is going on in the ring. Heads are smashed against ring posts and the camera is shaking as well. Again and again kicks, saltos, evasion moves, flying kicks and fist punches at such a high speed, that even watching seems to hurt und the watcher seems to taste blood himself. This could even have inspired Jean-Claude Van Damme (“Cyborg”, “Hard Target”) in this best days. The fights are caught on film by cinematographer Ross W. Clarkson (“The Mechanik, “The Black Dahlia”), whose energetic and fresh camera work wanders from the audience of the fights directly into the fights, follows the ropes around the ring or lifts the view at one point above the heads of the fighters and shows the battle from above. As a result the camera work and the choreography of the fights go hand in hand and leave no room for negative criticism. That Florentine is inspired by Hong Kong’s filmmakers becomes obvious when opponents slide across the floor after receiving a kick and crash into the wall a few meters away or the energetic camera doesn’t seem to stand still anymore. Always looking for the best shot possible Florentine creates his actual masterpiece. When in earlier films the budget hindered the full realisation of his visual ideas, he can visibly profit from higher budget in this one.
I can’t stop praising the film but there isn’t much to criticise in “Undisputed II: Last Man Standing” and I am stuck in celebrating euphoria. One reason for this is the fact that people went the right way, which “The Mechanik” already successfully chose. Eastern Europe is not only the location, the story of the film is also set there and the production values at Nu Image have risen decisively within the last years. If one compares the jail with “In Hell” stark contrasts can be found. There aren’t any scenes which seem to shout b-movie at the audience, as the snow there also played an important role besides making everything look more aesthetic. But also the cast of East European actors doesn’t leave a really negative impression anymore. Nu Images invests a lot in Bulgaria and is about to create a blossoming film monopoly there, which delivers results by now. Is the time of poor b-action films from Eastern Europe over, which served as a means to torture genre fans” The money that was saved since the late 90ies, now seems to be spend. The future will show, whether Nu Image continues this trend for a longer time, but better times seem to have come for us genre fans now.
Maybe it is the rather simple storyline with a few clichés, who were impossible to escape with such a plot as it has to be said with all fairness, and the a bit to friendly happy end, which might attract an opposition to “Undisputed 2″. The emotional scene in which lots of prisoners give food and clothes to Chambers, who has been chained to a pillar outside, is a bit overdone for example. But this are only short, negative moments, in which emotions and a portion of pathos rule. But who cares, the fun isn’t really diminished by this.
Because the always cussing Chambers, whose choice of words is really nothing for younger audiences, enters the prison in a rather pissy mood and isn’t much appreciated due to this fact. A bit of situation comedy proofs to the helpful. For example, when Chambers is told to take a cold shower after his arrival, shows his disapproval in mimic and gestures to the four guards and beats them up, but is taking the shower in the next scene ” guarded by 10 men. A bit of self irony can be found as well: Bersek Uri Boyka is a stamp collector as well, who spends his free time with a magnifying glass. It may sound silly, but Adkins doesn’t make a fool of himself in this scene, rather earns a smile by the audience.
Beginning with the first meeting of the two egoists in the cantina, where Chambers shows not the least respect for Boyka, provokes and starts a brawl involving both of them, up to the constant hardships Chambers has to endure (like shovelling shit in the sewers), which cause him to smash guards against the wall, fights come in regularly.
There is always a certain tension and expectation of the next fight or brawl, although the plot slows down action wise in the middle of the film. At this point Ben Cross (“The Order”, “The Mechanik”), arousing Cambers” pity as junkie Stevie Parker, enters the stage as a rather uninteresting fellow, who decides the first battle between the two extraordinary fighters, by giving Chambers water containing drugs as his corner man and causing a K.O. through this. Although Boyka hears about this manipulation afterwards and snaps the necks of some of his misguided followers, this passage is more about Chambers. It shows his change of character, as the starving inmates show sympathy for him from that point on.
As a special bonus there is again the grumpy Eli Danker (the harmonica is an homage to “Once Upon a Time in the West” by italowestern fan Florentine), who already played in “Special Forces” for Florentine. He plays the one, who has been in jail the longest time of all inmates, and looks like a wise man from a fairy tale. Sitting in a wheelchair he helps Chambers after his defeat by turning him from a simple boxer into a fighter, who also uses his knees and legs in a fight. No matter how powerful Chambers” hooks are, in the first fight Boyka had a great advantage.
Furthermore there are some standards. The corrupt warden allows everything, as long as it serves his financial purposes, the guards always ignore the troubles and the gambling mafia is pulling the strings in the background. The dark, icy jail of course makes a very threatening and unwelcoming impression, Chambers is constantly tortured and humiliated and Boyka as local champion enjoys privileges. Composer Stephen Edwards shows again, that he usually does his best work when working for Florentine, which should open doors into a higher league for him. But really outstanding is “Bring It On” by Nathaniel Dawkins. A really cool song, which can be heard when the training of the two opponents is shown in split screen.
Enough praise for Isaac Florentine. All in all I can recommend “Undisputed 2” without any limitations to anyone who enjoys martial arts, no matter whether this is a b-movie. This one is a real pearl and I am sure the film will gain an outstanding reputation in the near future, as soon as New Line finally releases the DVD.
Scott Adkins and Michael Jai White fight each other without retreat, without surrender. The choreography with all its acrobatic parts is absolutely unbelievable und furthermore both of them act very convincing, but one should also not forget about Eli Danker. Of course the main purpose of the story is simply the conflict of the two men, but thanks to the high speed and the huge number of fights this doesn’t really matter. Much more one couldn’t expect and at least I can live with the clichés. These are conventions, you will find in every second movie in this segment.
Conclusion
After “Special Forces” Isaac Florentine has improved a bit again and made his best movie up to date with “Undisputed II: Last Man Standing”, which looks even better and more professional than his predecessors and doesn’t have the look of a b-movie all the time. Instead it looks dark, rough and dirty because of the sad, threatening atmosphere of the prison. Florentine’s typical style gives the pictures again an individual note: The “woosh”-sounds (his fans know that I mean”) are more decent. The very brutal, spectacularly choreographed fights are unbelievable highlights and I haven’t seen anything comparable in this genre up til now. OK, the story is mostly concerned with basic aspects, but it suffices in this case. Furthermore Scott Adkins and Michael Jai White are two really cool fighters, who can be seen as representatives for their business and will hopefully get more roles like these in their future. It is especially Whites time. There is also some humor, that made me smile, und the Russian jail as a location atmospherically harsh and threatening. A really energetic fight film, which got even beyond my expectations. Thank you very much, Mr. Florentine. But please, don’t wait three years again until you make your next movie!
