Leofwine_draca
The second of the UNDISPUTED franchise, LAST MAN STANDING sees B-movie action specialist Isaac Florentine taking over from Walter Hill for what is a very different beast to the first. Gone are that film's cast, with Michael Jai White playing the hulking hero and taking over from Ving Rhames who played the same character in the first. It's still about martial arts tournaments in a Russian prison, but otherwise it's all change. The emphasis is on staging a series of brutal fight scenes both inside and outside of the ring, and they feature violent hits and extreme choreography. They're fantastic, to put it simply, and they help to lift what is otherwise an average plot and storyline into something special. Jai White is okay as the hero, although his character is perhaps a bit too hard to be very sympathetic, but then-newcomer Scott Adkins is the stand-out as his opponent, the Russian beast Boyka. It's amazing what Adkins does with his role here - his introduction in the ring alone had my eyes popping out of my head - and he would carry on the story with a further two sequels in which he would become the redemptive protagonist.
Takethispunch
Some years after fighting Monroe "Undisputed" Hutchens in prison, former boxing champion George "Iceman" Chambers visits the Russian Federation for a series of boxing matches, where he is subsequently framed for possession of cocaine and once again sent to prison. There, he discovers a series of illegal mixed martial arts matches dominated by inmate Yuri Boyka. The prison officials arrange these fights and place large side-bets to make a personal profit, often at the expense of the fighters. Chambers shares a cell with Steven Parker, a British junkie.Mob boss Gaga and Warden Markov tell Chambers that if he fights Boyka, he will likely get an expedited appeal and early release. Chambers initially refuses, but after spending time in demeaning physical labor in the prison's sewer system and experiencing firsthand the brutality of the guards, he reluctantly agrees. He is rescued from both forms of humiliation by a wheelchair-bound inmate named Crot. Both fighters train hard for the match, though Chambers still relies on his boxing background while Boyka prepares a series of deadly kicks, throws, and grappling combinations designed to humiliate his opponent in the ring. Prior to the fight however, Boyka's gang force Steven, who is acting as Chambers' cornerman, to spike his water with a light sedative during the fight.
feverbaba123
Great film. Excellent action. Nothing Over the top like the third part.It has even got a decent story.One can be sure of that when MJW is around. His role is as usual dominating and the only time he loses is when he is drugged .:D Scott Adkins was the hero of third part but here he is the villain . The film showed how boxing is a limited sport in free style fight. I liked that. The climax is superb and MJW displayed some amazing Muay Thai moves . I am slowly becoming his fan :DAnother interesting thing to observe is it endorses the same TDKR's "fear as a motivation" philosophy (towards the climax) and this came way back in 2006. I had said during my TDKR review that there is nothing new in Nolans philosophy and it had been shown in many movies before. This is one among them.There is this clichéd I have observed in all prison-based films. There will always be a creepy old bearded man who always gives some philosophical lectures and motivates the hero to get out of it. But he himself doesn't try it ever ;)
ericthered01
The first "Undisputed" movie starred Wesley Snipes and was a straight up boxing film. "Undisputed II" is more of a mixed martial arts film even though Michael Jai White plays an American boxing champion. Since this movie has been out for a little while I'll spare you the plot details and just tell you that Scott Adkins is awesome; you won't believe some of the kicks he pulls off in this. Michael Jai White is awesome; one of the most underrated martial artists in the movies today. And "Undisputed II" is one of the best martial arts movies I've seen in recent years. The fight scenes are very well done and it's obvious that a martial artist directed this movie. That being said, there's also surprisingly good acting, a good story, and awesome music that made me want to start training when I heard it. If you are a martial arts movie fan, this is must see.
AD
