Undisputed (2002)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers (WGA):

David Giler (written by) &
Walter Hill (written by)

Release Date:

23 August 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

At Sweetwater Prison, The World Heavyweight Champion Is About To Meet His Match.

Plot:

When heavyweight champion James 'Iceman' Chambers lands in prison, the resident gangster arranges a boxing match with the reigning prison champ.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Heavyweight Champion | Boxing | Iceman | Rape

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Wesley Snipes	...	Monroe Hutchen
Ving Rhames	...	George 'Iceman' Chambers
Peter Falk	...	Mendy Ripstein
Michael Rooker	...	A.J. Mercker
Jon Seda	...	Jesus 'Chuy' Campos
Wes Studi	...	Mingo Pace
Fisher Stevens	...	James 'Ratbag' Kroycek
Dayton Callie	...	Yank Lewis
Amy Aquino	...	Darlene Early
Johnny Williams	...	Al
Joe D'Angerio	...	Vinnie
Nils Allen Stewart	...	Vern Van Zant
Denis Arndt	...	Warden Lipscom
Jim Lampley	...	Himself
Ed Lover	...	Marvin Bonds

Also Known As:

Undisputed - Sieg ohne Ruhm (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language.

Runtime:

Spain:96 min | USA:94 min | Argentina:96 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

High Desert State Prison - 22010 Cold Creek Road, Indian Springs, Nevada, USA

Company:

Amen Ra Films

Trivia:

This film was actually filmed at two different Nevada prisons as well as having a major fight scene filmed at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus.

Quotes:

Monroe Hutchens: He's a fighter, I'm a fighter, if I'm better on that day, I win. That's just the way it goes. Someday, every fighter loses. Sooner or later, somebody comes along and they got your ticket. Too old, just wasn't your day, whatever the reason is. In the end, everybody gets beaten. The most you can hope for is that you stay on top a while. Be the best.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Today You Die (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

If U Wanna Know

Two incarcerated boxers go head to head but it's the movie that's K.O.'d!!

Wesley Snipes stars as the boxing champ of Sweetwater Prison whose title and manhood are put at jeopardy when the true heavyweight champion (played by Ving Rhames) lands in the cellblock for the rape of a showgirl (Rose Rollins).

I enjoyed UNDISPUTED for the first thirty minutes or so but after that I became lost. I was looking for deeper character development than I ever got. We get to know Ving Rhames character the most (mainly because he's a replica of Mike Tyson) and he's the antagonist. We get introduced to several supporting characters (Wes Studi, Fisher Stevens, Peter Falk, Michael Rooker, Jon Seda) here and there for whatever reason. However, they're all a prison cliché.

The character we never get to know, oddly, is the hero, played by Wesley Snipes. We can only assume that Snipes is the hero because of his sensitive hobby of making houses out of toothpicks. Other than that, Snipes has only about twenty lines. It's weird. Rhames even though billed second has far more screen time than Snipes.

I can't help but feel that this film lost it in the editing room. Somehow this movie feels like half a movie. Like important parts have been chopped away. I just can't imagine writers Walter Hill and David Giler (ALIEN), or any writers for that matter, writing a script with such a non-dimensional lead character.

While action film veteran Walter Hill (48 HOURS; LAST MAN STANDING) has learned some stylish new tricks to filmmaking, they're not enough to save his latest effort. All in all, two incarcerated boxers go head to head, but it's the movie that gets K.O.'d. (C-)