Released: August 2017
Rated R
Director: Todor Chapkanov
Run Time: 90 Minutes
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Genre: Action/Martial Arts
Cast:
Scott Adkins: Boyka
Teodora Duhovnikova: Alma
Alon Aboutboul: Zourab
Julian Vergov: Slava
Brahim Achabbakhe: Igor Kazmir
Emilien de Falco: Viktor
It is a very rare thing to see sequels completely overshadow the original film. In fact, most of the time it doesn’t happen. There have been franchises that have accomplished that. Ip Man 3 blew the first two movies out of the water. The Road Warrior ran circles around the original Mad Max and The Fast and The Furious sequels left the original film in the dust. Is that always a good thing? Depends on the movie. When it comes to Undisputed, my first exposure to that franchise was Undisputed II: Last Man Standing with Scott Adkins and Michael Jai White. When Undisputed III came out, I was really excited. I’ve never seen the original film, oddly enough. I was never interested in a prison boxing movie. So, here we are 15 years later with the third sequel in the Undisputed franchise: Boyka: Undisputed 4.
As the film opens, we see famed ex-prison fighter Yuri Boyka enter the ring against a man named Viktor. Blow for blow, the two fighters go at it until Boyka gets the upper hand and knocks Viktor out. As Boyka leaves the ring victorious, medics rush Viktor to the hospital. After being informed by his manager that Viktor had passed, Boyka discovers that Viktor left behind a wife, Alma. Taking the prize money and photo that he finds of Viktor and his wife, Boyka heads to Russia to find Alma. As soon as he finds her, she’s whisked away by a Russian mobster by the name of Zourab. It seems she owes him a lot of money and is working to pay off the debt. Most people generally don’t go see an Undisputed film for the story, just the fights. However, the story in Undisputed 4 is a personal one for the character of Boyka. It’s not bad at all. In fact, I found myself pretty engaged and actually giving a shit about what happens to these characters.
Over the course of three films, we see Boyka transform from this seemingly egotistical angry Russian to a character on a quest for redemption. He was definitely the bad guy in Undisputed II, make no mistake about it. His character got what was coming to him. In the third film, he’s kind of broken because he lost to a boxer and ended up with a shattered knee. Undisputed III was a chance for Boyka to become a fighter again and rediscover that part of him that was really violent. Undisputed 4, has him seeing the consequences of that violence and has him trying to atone for that violence. Boyka is easily Scott Adkins’ most memorable role. I haven’t seen anybody play an angry Russian the way Adkins does. Scott Adkins, while not the most refined actor, has a physical presence that can rival that of a lot of 80’s action heroes. Adkins is easily the best part of these movies, but I like it when he confronts Alma and tries to tell her the truth about her husband’s death. It’s a surprisingly powerful moment for both characters and actors. The villain, Zourab, is played by Alon Aboutboul, and makes for a terrifically slimy villain. Aside from those three main actors, everyone else is kind of….there.
In terms of action, I would personally say that Undisputed III is the better film in terms of choreography and intensity, I can honestly say that Boyka is no slouch in that department either. Thanks to some very solid fight choreography by Tim Man, who also makes an appearance, the fights in Boyka are brutal and spectacular. Watching Scott Adkins do his thing in the ring is nothing short of amazing. All the acrobatic stuff that you saw in the previous two films is intact here. I also have to give credit to Brahim Achabbakhe for being able to go toe-to-toe with Adkins in terms of physicality. If anything, Undisputed 4 manages to infuse those fights with the story, which gives them a much larger impact, especially on Yuri Boyka. The action in the film is shot well with big wide shots so you can see what’s going on. There’s also no shaky-cam going on, thankfully. The shaky-cam during fights in most movies, is done to hide poor choreography, from my perspective at least. Action-wise, everything that you would want in an Undisputed film is here. It’s definitely worth checking out for the fights alone.
Overall, I would have to say Boyka: Undisputed 4 is a worthy addition to any fan of the franchise and fight movies in general. It’s action-packed, hard-hitting, and has a surprisingly emotional weight to the film. The three lead actors are absolutely fantastic in their roles and just seeing the character of Boyka go to town everyone in the ring is a sight to behold. I love it. Before I wrap this review up, I would like to address an issue that I’ve come across on Scott Adkins’ Facebook page: Piracy. I came across an exchange Scott had with one of his fans about the actual damage piracy can do to a film. When it comes to the larger, multi-million dollar movies, one or two copies being pirated isn’t going to make much of a dent, but it does add up quickly. For smaller and more independent productions like Boyka, piracy can be very destructive. All the money that’s made from each copy sold goes back not just to the distributor, but also to the actors and the people that work to create these films. To say that piracy doesn’t have an actual effect, shows a complete ignorance and lack of understanding when it comes to the economics of making a movie. I have to side with Scott Adkins on this issue: Piracy is bad for everybody involved. If Boyka gets pirated more than it sells legitimately, any chance of making another film is going to be diminished, no matter how popular the film is. So, film makers can’t make the movies they want, and fans aren’t going to be able to see them. There is a relationship between the two. Honestly, just go out and buy it. If you can’t afford to buy it, rent it. Do it legally. Support the indie film industry and support the people like Scott Adkins who love making movies this way. If you do that, you’ll be seeing more.
Now that I’m off my soapbox about piracy, I can easily give Boyka: Undisputed 4 my highest recommendation as an action film. While I don’t think it is as good as number 3, it more than stands on its own. With surprisingly good performances by Scott Adkins, Teodora Duhovnikova, and Alon Aboutboul, this is a very solid film. I would love to see another, but if there isn’t another, I could think of worse ways to end a franchise. Definitely check this one out.
Final Recommendation: Don’t piss off an already angry Russian. He might beat you to death. 8.5/10