The reigning champ of direct-to-video action elevates this prison-slugfest sequel
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Watch This offers movie recommendations inspired by new releases, premieres, current events, or occasionally just our own inscrutable whims. This week: We look back on highlights of the DTV action craze—some of the coolest, wildest, and most entertaining action movies to skip theaters entirely.
Undisputed III: Redemption (2010)
We begin with the credits: Nu Image logo, ugly typeface, establishing shot of a prison. Post-roman-numeral subtitles like Redemption, Vengeance, or The Return are not exactly a mark of quality, but to a certain kind of action fan, they are as irresistible as the idea of multiple direct-to-video sequels to a forgotten Walter Hill movie from 2002. In fact, the connection between the original Undisputed and Isaac Florentine’s Undisputed III: Redemption is beyond tenuous. The only thing one needs to know is that the character of Yuri Boyka, who was introduced in Florentine’s Undisputed II: Last Man Standing, is a badass.
Not that Undisputed III wastes much time establishing his bona fides, even if he is first seen mopping a prison floor with desert-island hair and a bum knee. Boyka is played by Scott Adkins, the closest thing the direct-to-video action industry has produced to a genuine homegrown star. In Undisputed II, which starred Michael Jai White as an American prizefighter who ended up in a Russian prison, he was something like a bad guy. But here, by the laws of fandom and popular demand, he has returned to become the hero of the world of illegal prison fighting tournaments.
While John Hyams’ Universal Soldier sequels are the artistic high points of the late 2000s and early 2010s direct-to-video renaissance, Florentine’s films are most representative of its unpretentious pleasures. Some of his earlier efforts—like Bridge Of Dragons and US Seals II: The Ultimate Force, a delightful, brainless B-movie in which ex-SEALs were forced to fight with swords—had elements of fantasy. But it was with the discovery of Adkins that Florentine, a former martial artist and stunt coordinator for various Power Rangers series, truly came into his own with a run of generic action movies made in Bulgaria.
However earnestly conceived, the plot of Undisputed III matters only to the extent that it is elevated by Adkins, a capable actor whose expressive eyes are as much of a signature as his enviable physique. We meet a mobster villain so Russian that he is at one point shown talking through a Bluetooth earpiece while peeling carrots and sitting in a leather office chair. We learn that there is an international prison fighting circuit in which the champions of various penitentiary systems fight each other in a prison in Georgia. Boyka has been brought low and now he must rise to new heights. Messianic undertones are involved, along with some imagery cribbed from Ringo Lam’s superlative Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle In Hell.
To be honest, Undisputed III is not one of the better-looking direct-to-video actioners of its time. Its budgetary constraints are conspicuous; one would like to believe that Florentine is at least paying tribute to his Power Rangers roots by staging several scenes in a rock quarry. But what it offers in a downmarket package are the two purest rushes in the genre: star charisma and violence. The backdrops are anything but spectacular, but Florentine’s clean, roomy frames and distaste for close-ups offers an awesomely spartan approach to the choreography of kicks and punches.
Much of this is extremely un-Hollywood, which is why a movie like Undisputed III could only be created for the alternate reality of direct-to-video. There’s no rapid cutting, no set pieces—only the sight of two muscular guys duking it out in impressively simulated bloodsport. One might go so far as to say that Adkins’ presence (and the sincerity he invests in these kinds of roles) lifts it up from impersonal combat into a drama with a protagonist worth rooting for, however ludicrous the plot and circumstances.
Availability: Undisputed III: Redemption is available for rental or purchase from Amazon Prime, iTunes, YouTube, Google Play, and VUDU.
18 Comments
Thanks for the mention of In Hell that is a forgotten masterpiece that does not get the love and respect it deserves. Adkins continues to be robbed of his Oscar for his work as Boyka I mean come on he has easily given more impressive and better performance then say Colin Firth in Kings Speech what ever that was. Like to see Firth do a spinning back kick while stuttering.
I really don’t understand why a cat like Florentine or Jesse V Johnson do not get chances with some of this comic book movies. Is Disney scared that they might actually direct a coherent action scene and make all the previous movies look like crap in retrospect?
I couldn’t agree more. Adkins should be a far, far bigger star than he is. I mean he actually tries to act, and acquits himself quite nicely. I saw Avengement not long ago, and you can plainly hear how much work he put into his British accent. Can you imagine Stallone or Arnold putting in that much effort during their action hero days?
Adkins is from the UK.
That’s true, but to back up the spirit of the previous comment if not the exact content – the dude’s done a bunch of accents. Perhaps none so convincingly as his own, but quite a bit beyond his elder action-star kin.
Agreed. Adkins puts effort into creating characters rather than just leaning on a singular persona. Perhaps its because he started as an actor who also did a lot of nonmartial arts roles, as opposed to someone with no acting background hired purely to be an action hero.
Holy crap — OK, now I have even MORE admiration for him! So he’s been doing American accent all this time…
Don’t get the love for Avengement. I thought it was awful.
Florentine’s Ninja film’s are as close as he’s come to a comic book movie, and if I’m being honest I prefer them to the vast majority of the Marvel movies.
While neither of those guys have done comic book movies, Adkins himself had a bit part of Doctor Strange and shared the role of *airquotes* “Wade Wilson” in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Nothing’s stopping Marvel from giving him another role, though, just as they did Mahershala Ali when he came in and informed them he would be playing Blade.
Aye, I was going to say Adkins was in Doctor Strange.In B Movies, he helps put together some of the best fight scenes ever committed to film. In blockbusters, he gets beaten up by a sentient cape.Adkins has actually starred in a comic book adaptation, ‘Accident Man’, about a hitman who makes the deaths look like accidents, adapted from an old British strip. I think it’s under the 2000AD umbrella, but might have originated in another comic. In it, Adkins fights Michael Jai White, at least the third time they have fought – the others being Undisputed 2 and an episode of Metal Hurlant. They also both appeared in the last entry on here, Triple Threat, but I think they were on the same side.I love Jesse V Johnson, as someone previously said, he can’t get through his own name without setting up a grudge match.
I’ve seen so many of these type of movies that they’ve sort of just bled together in my mind. I couldn’t figure out how you didn’t mention Jean Claude Van Damme and Mike Tyson were in this, as well as the Mountain from Game of Thrones. After looking it up to figure it out, I realized I was thinking of Kickboxer: Retaliation. Scott Adkins wasn’t even in it.
Oh hell yes, this movie is amazing. I wish Florentine would get back to making stuff like this.
Boyka is Scott Adkins’ greatest creation but a big part of the success of Undisputed III is the brilliant physical and character work of Chilean martial arts star Marko Zaror playing the villain, imprisoned Columbian enforcer Dolor. Dolor is a completely unique, quirky creation — creepy, vain, sadistic and physically dazzling. It’s a performance as classic as Yayan Ruhian’s badass villain Mad Dog from The Raid.
Dolor? So his name is literally “Pain” in Spanish? In Spanish because he’s from Colombia?
It’s the character’s nickname, presumably used by the drug cartel he served as enforcer. Raul Quinones is his given name, but I believe that is only referred to once, which is in the clip.
Before he started putting people in hospital, Adkins had a recurring role for a while in the BBC TV hospital series Casualty. Don’t think he smacked anybody.
Adkins is also in Ip Man 4, which just hit Netflix. He plays a cartoonishly racist gunnery sergeant in 1960s San Francisco.
I doubt anyone will see this but Scott Adkins has an interview series where he digs deep into action films/filmmaking with actors, stunt performers and directors and it is incredible. He’s had: Marko Zoror, Tony Jaa, Michael Jai White, Loren Avendon, Gareth Evans, JJ Perry, Daniel Bernhardt (aka Ronny from ‘ronny/lilly’ episode of Barry), and more.
My personal favorites have been w/ Perry, Evans because the go deep into the technical aspects of action filmmaking. Bernhardt’s interview was also especially awesome but they are all great.