One ofBladestarWesley Snipes’ most underrated movies is now free to stream. The actor and martial artist, who is best recognized for his role as the Marvel vampire hunter, a role he reprized in last year’sDeadpool & Wolverine, puts in a reliably charismatic performance as a boxer behind bars in the action/boxing/prison drama,Undisputed. You can now discover the movie without spending a dime, and it deserves a second round.
Released back in 2002,Undisputedis written, produced and directed by Walter Hill, the filmmaker behind the likes of the nightmarish ‘70s thrillerThe Warriorsand producer of theAlienfranchise. The movie starsVing Rhamesas George “The Iceman” Chambers and Wesley Snipes as Monroe “Undisputed” Hutchen, a pair of fighters who find themselves facing off while serving time behind bars. The rest of the cast features several genre favorites, including Peter Falk, Michael Rooker, Jon Seda, Wes Studi, Fisher Stevens, and Master P. Undisputed is available to stream onTubifrom March 1, and you can check out the official synopsis below.
“An undefeated world-champion prize fighter, who is convicted of rape and sent to prison, must confront and fight the reigning prison boxing champion.”
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Undisputedproved to be divisive upon release, landing scores of 49% from critics and 46% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. “While not the deepest boxing movie out there,Undisputedis successful at hitting its aspiration of being nothing more than a genre picture,” the critics’ consensus reads. Sometimes a solid genre picture is exactly what you need.
‘Undisputed’ Launched a Martial Arts Action Franchise
Undisputedhas since spawned a franchise. One that has largely left the heavy-hitting drama behind in favor of stunning martial arts action. The sequel, 2006’sUndisputed II: Last Man Standing, reshapes the character George “The Iceman” Chambers into Michael Jai White’s framed boxer, who is sent to a Russian prison and forced tothrow down with Scott Adkins’ Yuri Boyka, who describes himself as “the most complete fighter in the world.”
Adkins has now taken charge of the franchise, leading 2010’sUndisputed III: Redemptionand 2017’sBoyka: Undisputed. TheJohn Wick: Chapter 4star now wants to re-enter the ring, and is hoping to bring Boyka back for another round. Answering fans' questions recently, Adkins responded to the idea ofreturning as Boyka in anUndisputed 5, saying, “Yes I would. We tried a few years back but couldn’t get the producers onboard. Boyka is a very layered character and I believe there’s still a good story to tell.”
As for Wesley Snipes, who himself served 28 months in prison for tax evasion, the actor returned the role of Blade, making his debut in the MCU as The Daywalker in the multiversal madness that isDeadpool & Wolverine. There is currently no word on whether he will play the role again (there is a Mahershala Ali-led reboot set for release…someday) but a lot of fans (including Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds) are hoping Snipes’ iteration will be given a proper solo send-off.
Undisputed
