Isaac Florentine, as far as I’m concerned, is the John Woo of kung fu (Hey, I rhymed.). It doesn’t matter that his films are standard plot elements that you’ve seen before a hundred times, it makes no difference that he rarely features a hero that is 3 dimensional in their personality, and it makes no difference that he oftentimes works with casts that don’t belong in front of a camera. (U.S Seals II is a prime example of such, excepting Teague and maybe Chapa.) So what happens then when Florentine actually has a cast of decent actors and a story that is stronger than usual? I don’t know… I’m just asking a rhetorical question. The point is Florentine’s movies work because his premises don’t depend on anything other than fight sequences between heroes and villains, and while Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren and Michael Jai White have charisma, he mainly utilizes them for their fighting ability, which makes him a notable director.

Undisputed II is basically a paint-by-numbers story in which Iceman Chambers (Jai White) is in Russia for some type of promotion or advertisement (He does a vodka commercial.), and he is framed by Russian jailers and his agent, who force him to fight against the prison circuit champion, Boyka (Scott Adkins). Of course, Chambers is reluctant to fight, but finds a trainer to help him adapt to the new style in a quest to be the champ. The story makes little sense, because they put cocaine in his bible, and yet they don’t even seem to sentence him or anything. Indeed, being that he is a champion boxer, you would think such would lead to headlines. Then again, nobody has given a shit about boxing since Tyson bit Holyfield’s ear off.

Undisputed II is about on par with The Shepherd:Border Patrol. What is more interesting this time is that Florentine actually captures the feeling of isolation in a Russian prison, and because he is dealing with better than average actors than usual (Compare this to U.S Seals II or Ninja), Florentine actually recreates a kung fu prison flick that recalls Death Warrant… and… uh is that the only decent martial arts movie that takes place in prison? Actually the best I can think of is Bloodfist III, but that was only average. Anyway, Undisputed II is right up there (and the first only had boxing, so even though it’s good, it’s not martial arts) as the best in the whole “kung fu expert behind bars” micro-genre, but those movies really tend to suck, so this isn’t much of a compliment. I think the problem is that prison movies take place in a static area, and martial arts fight sequences tend to rely on variety of scenery. Bloodsport 4 and The Circuit 2 are prime examples of really sucky prison kung fu flicks, and thankfully, this blows those two duds out of the water. Seriously, I’m trying to think of another decent kung fu prison flick aside from Death Warrant (and this), and I just can’t do it. Anyway, what keeps Undisputed II above all others is the choreography of some exciting fight sequences. The two fights between Jai White and Adkins are an awesome spectacle to behold. Once again, you can say what you want about Florentine, but Isaac knows his action, and he films it for maximum effectiveness. When you see Adkins doing backflips, while Jai White tries to come at him with boxing skills, then you really are right in the middle of the action.

The acting is what you would expect I guess. The problem with Jai White is that his character is such a douche that, while he becomes tolerable at the end, his arrogance and attitude just rub you the wrong way. The character is written as a Terrell Owens type of personality and Jai White plays it well, but that doesn’t change the fact that his character is a douche bag. Adkins is by far a more enjoyable character, and his bad ass presence clearly shows up the champion boxer persona. He brings an Ivan Drago presence to his part and shows up Jai White, just as much as he showed up Van Damme. Clearly, Adkins would make an interesting hero (I will be reviewing Undisputed III). Ben Cross is decent, but wasn’t this guy an Oscar nominee or something? I know he was in a best picture; I mean it was Chariots Of Fire (that sucked), but he clearly is more talented than playing “British Junkie” whose betrayal of Jai White is by far the easiest plot twist you’ll ever see. He was also in Icon with Patrick Swayze, The Order with Van Damme, The Russian Specialist with Dolph Lundgren, and the Species sequel that nobody gives a shit about (Seriously did anyone care after part 1?). Weird. I also see he was in the new Star Trek, Exorcist:The Beginning, First Knight and A Bridge Too Far. I can’t think of a weirder resume… well maybe Peter Fonda’s. It’s just really weird seeing the guy from Chariots of Fire in a kung fu flick. Undisputed II is a better movie than Chariots of Fire by the way. (Not as boring.)

What really makes me recommend this is the training montage, fight sequences and Florentine’s surprisingly atmospheric mood. The acting is okay for what you would expect, but you don’t rent a movie like this for studying the human condition; you basically watch it to see people beat the hell out of one another, while exchanging macho bullshit lines. Undisputed II then is pretty much what you would expect, and because it is what it is, I found myself engrossed in the action. Martial arts movies are rarely this enjoyable, especially ones that take place in prisons, so this is one that I would totally add to my collection.

7/10

Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006) - New DVD Movie Reviews, 10.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating

Tags: 2006, action, adventure, ben cross, daisy lang, isaac florentine, martial arts, Michael jai white, prison movie, prisoners, scott adkins