Review: Undisputed (2002)

Director: Walter Hill | 96 minutes | action, drama, crime | Actors: Ving Rhames, Wesley Snipes, Peter Falk, Michael Rooker, Jon Seda, Wes Studi, Fisher Stevens, Dayton Callie, Amy Aquino, Johnny Williams, Joe D’Angerio, Nils Allen Stewart, Denis Arndt, Jim Lampley, Ed Lover, Master P., Vyshonne Miller, C-Murder, Boz, Nicholas Cascone, Bruce A. Young, Byron Minns, Susan Dalian, Jonathan Wesley Wallace, JWSmith, John David Jackson, Michael Bailey Smith, Peter Jason, Steve Heinze, Ken Medlock, George Grigas, Christopher Wynne, George Christy, James Allen Hensz, John D. Harrington, Toby Gibson, Daren Libonatt, Rose Rollins, Maureen O’Boyle, Elaine Kagan, Sandra Vidal

‘Undisputed’ is part boxing film and part prison drama. George ‘The Iceman’ Chambers is the undisputed heavyweight world champion who is accused of rape after a sexual escapade and then ends up in a maximum-security prison among serious criminals of various kinds. He soon discovers the presence of Monroe Hutchens, once also a promising boxing talent and unbeaten inside prison walls for ten years. The scenario that then unfolds is as logical as it is predictable and most of the film is therefore used to work towards the final, almost inevitable fight between the two boxers. The lack of originality is one of the biggest problems this film has to contend with anyway. The story is not that big and is mainly made up of elements that we have seen in other films before. Moreover, the storyline around Chambers shows a lot of resemblance to the life story of one Mike Tyson. He, too, was an absolute superstar before he ended up in prison for rape, and stories about illegal boxing matches that were allegedly organized with the help of the Mafia also circulate about Tysons’ stay in jail. Moreover, the fictional character Chambers also resembles Mike Tyson in character (quite flammable) and boxing style. He, too, was an absolute superstar before he ended up in prison for rape, and stories about illegal boxing matches that were allegedly organized with the help of the Mafia also circulate about Tysons’ stay in jail. Moreover, the fictional character Chambers also resembles Mike Tyson in character (quite flammable) and boxing style. He, too, was an absolute superstar before he ended up in prison for rape, and stories about illegal boxing matches that were allegedly organized with the help of the Mafia also circulate about Tysons’ stay in jail. Moreover, the fictional character Chambers also resembles Mike Tyson in character (quite flammable) and boxing style.

The acting in ‘Undisputed’ is decent, but not much more than that. Ving Rhames is fairly convincing as ‘bad boy’ George Chambers, but Wesley Snipes has been on better shape in the past. He is not in default, but his performance comes across as fairly perfunctory and not overly inspired. The characters are not really explored in the film, so the viewer is probably not really emotionally involved in the story. George Chambers, despite the fact that he may be falsely accused of rape, is not one to arouse the viewer’s sympathy and Monroe Hutchens’ character is fairly neutral. He comes across a lot more sympathetic than ‘The Iceman’, but also does not live up to the stereotypical image of the heroic warrior that we encounter in ‘Rocky’, for example. The rest of the cast, except for Peter Falk, does not play an important role in the story and mainly serves as filler.

The boxing scenes in ‘Undisputed are very well taken care of and look a lot more realistic than those in other and clearly better known films from the genre such as’ Rocky’ and ‘Ali’. It is clear to see that Snipes has prepared well for the film by training with top coach Emmanuel Stewart. Rhames also looks quite authentic as a boxer and built up the necessary extra muscle mass for this film.

‘Undisputed’ is a fairly unpretentious film that is primarily intended as pure ‘entertainment’. Do not expect a complicated or layered story, well-developed characters or a deeper meaning, because viewers who have such demands on a film may be better off avoiding this movie. Fans of boxing or action films with a high no-nonsense content will probably be able to enjoy this production.