Undisputed II: Last Man Standing

I wish that I could fully describe how great this movie is but I will try. If you are a fan of B-movie martial arts flicks then you will know this storyline well. It is your typical prison movie where they have kickboxing matches between the inmates. What makes it stand out from the rest of the pack is that it is the most groundbreaking martial arts movie I seen in a very long time. It has a ton of top notch Hong Kong action type of moves, new, inventive ones I might add, but the mixed martial arts incorporated into the fighting is equally impressive. There has never been a definitive movie that showcased MMA properly. 'Undisputed 2' does not take a Ken Shamrock fight move by move and shoot it on screen, but the realism in the fights cannot be matched by any other movie. Spinning back kicks come out of nowhere. Leg, arm, and ankle locks are worked seamlessly into the fights without cutting frames or using trick editing. It has numerous techniques applied and you will watch this over and over just so you can take it all in. There is a bit of undercranking and some film tricks are used, but no wires, and some of the moves being pulled off are jaw dropping. A fantasy film for fight fans and it has the most realistic yet stylishly choreographed one on one fights imaginable. J.J. Perry has to be mentioned for choreographing these brilliant fight scenes making it look like an event you would actually pay to see.

Michael Jai White from 'Tyson' and 'Spawn' stars as the current boxing champion who gets framed while working in Russia and goes to prison. He actually takes on the role that Ving Rhames played as George "The Iceman" Chambers in the first 'Undisputed' but this movie is pretty different. The prison is owned by the mob who hold illegal UFC types of fights. It is actually the villian played by Scott Adkins who steals the show. Michael Jai White is great but Adkins really gets to show off everything he has. His presence is amazing and I loved him in every scene. There is a good job of character development with friends of Jai White helping him along, and holding him up.

While the fights in this movie are truly second to none, the story is very well done also. Don't expect your typical Jean Claude Van Damme movie where we have to just accept that it is going to be badly done, though it may have some good action. This movie is expertly directed by Isaac Florentine. The plot is totally unbelievable, but still well written. With this, Florentine looks like he will finally take off as a big time director. I think he can handle it and this movie shows that. Don't expect action from start to finish but it has plenty of fights. Florentine takes the time to set everything up so we actually get a very good overall movie. Like most all great martial arts films, there is a training sequence. This happens before the final fight for Jai White, but Adkins gets to show off the most throughout the entire film. Great acting by everybody also helps this movie out tremendously. Don't expect your typical B-action flick. It has a good ending and is a worthwhile movie to watch all the way through.

It is amazing that this did not have a theatrical release but I look forward to seeing more from everybody involved in this. Most of all I am looking for Michael Jai White to get better roles now that he has shown he has some very good acting skills. This is what a fighting movie is supposed to be, a good movie with great fights. Too bad it rarely happens. It is a masterpiece of the martial arts genre and action movies in general.

This is a great release from New Line Entertainment with booming sound and good picture quality. The picture is grainy at times but still very good and is also widescreened. They don't skip out on the special features either. There is a 20 minute making of with behind the scenes and interviews with the cast and crew. Nice to see director Isaac Florentine showing off his moves. Also included is a commentary track with the stars Stott Adkins and Michael Jai White and the director. This is a great conversation of everything that went into making the movie and their thoughts on it.

just like every other reviewer here, i was surprised by how good this movie was. i was in awe while watching how quick these fighters moved and i was extremely glad that someone recommended this to me because i wouldn't have even thought twice about it.

not much to say about the plot other then it has been done to death by other movies. don't let that discourage you, it's still well worth a watch. the only thing that i wished was different was that it wasn't a sequel to the first undisputed. the character differences of Iceman were unbelievably noticeable and that is why i would like to make it clear that i rated this movie as a movie all on it's own, not as a sequel. there were no references to the first one and if it weren't for the name of the champ as well as the movie title, you wouldn't even know they were one in the same.

Not often do sequels come out better than the original especially when you're talking about B-Movies but this film is the exception to the rule. I rented it and I swear I didn't want to give it back. This movie shows that you can have good action fighting without biting the Matrix. If you like fight flicks then you'll love this one. I'm sure this will become an underground classic.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 30 reviews  4.1 out of 5 stars