Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)

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General		Extras
Category	Action	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2006
Running Time	94:00
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Isaac Florentine
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Michael Jai White Scott Adkins Eli Danker Ben Cross
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$32.95	Music	Stephen Edwards

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    George Chambers (Michael Jai White) was once the heavyweight champion of the world, but now finds himself starring in Russian vodka commercials to make ends meet. To make matters worse he's framed for trafficking drugs by the mob and sent to the worst prison in Russia. Turns out the mob is running an illegal boxing tournament through the prison system and wants the ex-champ to fight the reigning Russian fighter Uri Boyka (Scott Adkins) to liven up their gambling enterprise. Chambers doesn't want to fight, however his survival will depend on it.

Undisputed was released in 2002 and starred Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames. Ving Rhames played George Chambers the Heavy Weight Champion sent to prison convicted of rape (Mike Tyson anyone?). Inside `the joint' Chambers has to fight the reigning inmate champion played by Snipes to secure an early release. The film was directed by action veteran Walter Hill and was a return to form for the once great director. The film has yet to be released in any form in Australia. When released stateside the film was moderately successful at the box office, which eventuated in a low budget DTD sequel.

Undisputed II: Last Man Standing takes the Ving Rhames character from the original and basically uses the same plot in a different location. The story is reasonably well presented with a screenplay that proves efficient if a little uninspired. However, what elevates the film above the usual cheap sequel cash ins are the exceptional fighting sequences. Director Isaac Florentine has staged some of the best mixed martial arts choreography I've seen in years. The fights are fast and brutal and all done without the use of stunt doubles. A key to the success is the obvious inclusion of actors Michael Jai White and Scott Adkins who are real life martial arts experts. Both actors also acquit themselves well in the thespian department and deliver strong performance in what could have been a tedious retread. In fact I found myself enjoying Undisputed II more than the original, and that's saying a lot as I'm a big fan of director, Walter Hill.

Video

    Undisputed II has been presented in the aspect ratio of 1:78:1 and is 16x9 enhanced for widescreen viewing.

    The transfer is reasonably sharp if a little soft in places. Shadow details are strong with deep black levels with minimal grain and no low level noise problems.

    Colours are natural if somewhat muted to emphasize the drab conditions of both Russia and the correctional facility.

    The are very few examples of Film or Video Artefacts throughout the transfer.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The feature has been given a 5.1 Dolby Digital surround mix.

    Dialogue is clear with no major audio sync problems, however due to a number of non-English speaking actors in small roles there are minor lip sync anomalies.

    The films score is low key and appropriately moody given the subject material.

    Surround Channel Usage is fairly solid. Rear channels contain the requisite directional fields and contain enough ambient noise to immerse the viewer.

    The Subwoofer supplies a strong bass and reverberation level to the 5.1 mix.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Making off documentary

    All versions currently available are identical.

    Undisputed II: Last Man Standing is a better than average low budget effort, and is superior to the Wesley Snipes starring original.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall