Undisputed 3: Redemption. Review by Mark Pollard

29.04.2010EvilDollaR

Scott Adkins, a new generation of action star and director Isaac Florentine returned again with their fifth and, to date, best work, this time adding to their company the energetic and phenomenal fighter from Chile - Marco Zarora (Mirage Man). “Undisputed 3: Redemption” This is a powerful, no-nonsense prison fighting tournament film, with a straightforward but quality script, and a number of enhancements in the form of expressive, explosive and extremely convincing MMA fights that are rarely seen in cinema, period. If real mixed-fighter fights looked this good, they would become doubly popular. Then Florentine's stunt team, led by Larnell Stowell, would have to come up with something better, which is hard to imagine at the moment.

I've been an avid fan of Florentine's films since I first, quite by accident, purchased a used rental copy of SEAL Team 2 from the Blockbuster home video network back in 2001. While the American direct-to-disc action movie market suffered throughout the first decade of this century from low standards of fight choreography and the quality of execution of on-screen fights, Florentine, a veteran of the Power Rangers series, honed his skills in film adaptations of fights, wisely “getting his hands on” one one of the most talented screen fighters of our time. This fighter is Briton Scott Adkins, who recently took part directly in such high-profile projects as “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “X-Men: Origins. Wolverine". Adkins, who has experience of roles in the Hong Kong action films “Black Mask 2” by Tsui Hark and “Medallion” by Gordon Chan, first teamed up with Isaac Florentine in the film “American Special Forces”, in which he stole the show, despite only a small cameo role as a fighter. SAS operative (note: Special Air Service - a unit of British special forces). Subsequently, Adkins was given his first serious role. This happened after Nu Image entrusted Florentine with the director's chair for the filming of the sequel to Walter Hill's unpretentious prison action film “Undisputed” (2002).

Florentine brought his love of martial arts and Asian action films to Undisputed 2 (2006), casting Adkins and Michael Jai White in the lead roles. As it turned out later, he made not just another straight-to-video action movie, but one of the best martial arts films of the last ten years.

Florentine later cast Adkins as Jean-Claude Van Damme's nemesis in Shepherd (2008) and gave him the title role in the somewhat disappointing action film Ninja, which was unfortunately overshadowed by James McTeigue's more expensive and more elaborate action film Ninja. murderer".

Which, in fact, leads us straight to “Undisputed 3,” where we again meet Adkins as Yuri Boyk, a Russian mix fighter serving time for murder in an Eastern European prison. Boyka desperately tried to prove his superiority over other fighters, but subsequently suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of American boxer George Chambers (White). The defeat left Boyk with an injured knee and the likely prospect of spending the rest of his life cleaning prison latrines.

Happiness smiled on the main character when he barely managed to persuade the head of the prison, Gaga (Mark Ivanir), to give his consent to Boyk’s participation in an in-prison fighting tournament that brought together the best fighters from various prisons around the world. They fight against each other for the highest reward in the form of a full pardon, which will go to the only winner. The situation becomes more complicated when the authorities of the prison where the competition is held decide to use a trick for the sake of profit by encouraging one of the fighters. In addition, it turns out that losing fighters risk losing more than their reputation. In addition to hard labor and only one hour a day to train, Boyk's knee injury and growing friendship with a fellow fighter will further hinder his attempts to prove that he has what it takes to win.

Only a little time is devoted to the development of characters and plot. The chatter is mostly limited to dialogue from charming actor Michael Shannon Jenkins, who plays an American fighter named Turbo. I don't know if it's his square jaw, muscular physique, good looks, or the friendship he formed with Boyka, but he reminds me of Lo Meng, the star of the action movie The Poisonous Five. Also, honor and praise to Mark Ivanir, who again played the role of Gaga, and even better than last time.

The film focuses on the fights: a variety of competitors fight in front of chanting prisoner spectators, while cameras broadcast the action live for high-stakes bettors. In this regard, the film is a more ambitious version of Undisputed 2, combining the best elements of the second film (minus Michael Jai White) with significant improvements in the copious amounts of fighting.

Fans of martial arts films will be pleased to know that when it comes to the fights, there are virtually no downsides. Florentine plays with stylish high-speed variations throughout the film, but the audience is also treated to high-quality on-screen fights, adorned with surprisingly long takes, dynamic Hong Kong-style camera work, creative choreography and exceptional performances from the main fighters, who expertly perform their own stunts without using wires or post-processing effects (with one unfortunate exception). I believe Undisputed 3 has come as close as a Hollywood film has ever achieved to the highest standards of Asian action martial arts, be it Hong Kong, Thailand or Japan. I always knew that Isaac Florentine was capable of recreating this level of quality, as it was seen to a lesser extent in his past works. This is Florentine's first film that stands up with the best, at least in terms of action.

Scott Adkins is in incredibly good shape and, despite being well-muscled, remains fast and agile, using a wide range of signature spinning kicks and throws. Like Donnie Yen and Jean-Claude Van Damme, he developed his signature punch, which could be seen both in this and in several of his last films. It consists of a double jumping kick with a turn, when one leg flies high and wide, and the other kicks exactly at the target. It might not be a smart move to use in a real street fight, but it's definitely fascinating. I'd argue that this is Adkins' best screen work to date, technically speaking, even though I still love his performance in Shepherd. He hasn't yet found the right screen image for a serious leading role, but what's best is his technique.

Mention must be made of “Zero Gravity” stunt team member and capoeira specialist Latif Crowder with his unforgettable appearance as one of the main fighters. The first time he got lucky was when he fought Tony Jaa in “Tom Yum Goong” (2005). Since then, he has used his unique fighting techniques in films ranging from low-budget mixed-fighter dramas like Out of the Ring to The Book of Eli and the upcoming acclaimed Tekken adaptation. His role was small, but Crowder convincingly demonstrated his fighting skills in several fights, one of which was against Adkins. In both cases, Crowder performed the stunts phenomenally, with the only difference being that here the more colorful, dance-like aspects of capoeira were toned down to make it less outlandish and more useful in dangerous prison fights. Florentine and Stoval had a similar approach to the rest of the fighters. They all have distinctive skills, their movements are stylishly filmed and executed, but at the same time they remain realistic.

Marco Zaror, in the role of Adkins' main adversary, after filming in three quality Chilean action films, and the recent light parody of spy films, the action comedy Mandrill, lived up to the expectations placed on him. Who better to counter Adkins than Sarora? They both excelled in extreme martial arts, preferring to use powerful kicks with spins and flips. In addition, Saror’s versatile personality fits perfectly with the character of the smug reigning champion of Dolor, a kind of “tidbit.” Their fight did not disappoint. Without overusing it, Florentine drags out the fight for as long as necessary to achieve semi-epic proportions. It's a sight that will make you want to scream in a frenzy, as crowds of martial arts fans sometimes did in grindhouse cinemas while watching action films like Fist of Fury (aka The Chinese Connection) or any of the Shaw Brothers classics. Thanks to Adkins and Saror, who showed their best side, “Undisputed 3” became an action movie that “shot” with the goal of pleasing the audience and hit the bull’s eye.

The result of using “weapons” in the form of superbly executed fights was truly brilliant. The individual variations in speed, framing, delays, angles and timings are simply superb. I often complain about how poorly fight choreography is presented in Hollywood. Problems tend to range from an over-reliance on editing in post-production, with an emphasis on too many random cuts, to poor lighting and an overuse of on-screen fight conventions. Even casual viewers of films of this genre will be able to determine whether there was control over the action during the production or not. To see what a great presentation of fight choreography made in Hollywood can look like, you just have to watch “Undisputed 3.”

There are moments in the fights of Undisputed 3 that go beyond pure entertainment and reach levels of grandiosity. The choreography and its presentation so skillfully reveal the intentions and personalities of the fighters that throughout the entire film the viewer becomes a participant in what is happening. It contains footage taken from such unique angles and angles that I have never seen before. They greatly improve combat. For example, I absolutely loved the shot where Turbo beckons his opponent with his right hand - we see it through Turbo's eyes. It's little things like this that turn ordinary on-screen fights into extraordinary ones.

I got the impression that Florentine is no longer constrained by the conventions and standards of action films, still presenting the action without focusing on commercially successful shots, although there are plenty of those around. Starved action movie fans will find plenty of substance in the fights. It's difficult for people not well versed in martial arts to understand, but at the same time, the overall result should be appreciated by the masses for the most part in the same way as the films of Bruce Lee and Tony Jaa. Simply put, Undisputed 3 absolutely rocks.

By and large, there is no particular reason to complain about this film, however, I would throw “a couple of stones in the garden” of the creators. I really wish Nu Image would give Florentine a bigger budget and more scope so that it wouldn't just be a prison set. After watching the recent episodes of the television series “Prison Break”, I would like to look at the battles not only within the walls of the prison and not only between prisoners. I see the potential for a more epic story here. Florentine teases us with limited fights outside the ring, and the film ends with a hint of a possible sequel that might see the Undisputed series shed its prison roots. I hope this happens.

I also wish Florentine had been given a better script. The fights are superior to those in most big budget "A" movies, while the script, which falls short of the action due to generic dialogue and plot, can be classified as the same "B" movies. In truth, I think that given the opportunities given to the job, Florentine did an extremely good job, primarily by not letting the script get in the way of the action. Compared to Undisputed 2, this is a clear improvement. Tony Jaa has the same problem with his films, but I bet his scripts are worse because they don't compare to the way writer David White managed to at least maintain control of the narrative in this film. In this case, a film should always focus on its strengths and keep its weaknesses to a minimum, which Undisputed 3 does well.

“Undisputed 3” caused such delight that I can only guess what else can be expected from Isaac Florentine. I'd love to see Florentine make a film on a budget that's within the required range, again starring Adkins, and with a script from writers like Robert Mark Kamen (The Karate Kid) or John Fusco (The Forbidden Kingdom). It is clear to the naked eye that Florentine and Adkins work well together and seem to complement each other, revealing their best sides. However, Florentine, after Michael Jai White, Jean-Claude Van Damme and now Marco Zarora, will have a hard time finding new worthy opponents for Adkins. Still, I'll look forward to seeing his efforts.

Watch "Undisputed 3" and also buy blu-ray movies available on the website blu-ray-shop.kiev.ua.

Author: Mark Pollard
Source: kungfucinema
Translation: EvilDollaR
Especially for Scott Adkins fans

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Tags: Undisputed 3: Redemption, Isaac Florentine, Lateef Crowder, Mark Pollard, Marko Zaror, Scott Adkins

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