A Deep Dive into the “Undisputed” Franchise: From Wesley Snipes to Scott Adkins’ Boyka
It’s evident that action films hold a special place in the hearts of many. After a recent detour into the realms of Oscar predictions and eloquent dramas, it’s clear that the craving for adrenaline-fueled entertainment remains strong. Let’s plunge back into the world of high-octane action with a look at a beloved franchise: “Undisputed.”
To truly do justice to this martial arts film series, a revisit of all the films was in order; revisiting the explosive action and compelling characters that make “Undisputed” the great action film franchise it is!
The Genesis of Boyka
For those who religiously watch action movies, merely mentioning “Undisputed” immediately conjures mental images of Boyka, the imposing, incredibly skilled character masterfully played Scott Adkins.
Interestingly enough, Scott Adkins, along with his iconic character Boyka, didn’t actually appear until “Undisputed II.” The original “Undisputed” film actually stars Wesley Snipes, better known as Blade.
The first film of the series is still pretty good, but it does not quite reach “classic” status. The series really gets good with the third movie when Scott Adkins really shines.
The Hollywood Copycat Phenomenon
The story behind “Undisputed II” is a classic example of Hollywood’s sometimes frustrating formula. Capitalizing on a film, or franchise through new films with a new team is not uncommon in the industry.
Consider “The Butterfly Effect.” While the original stood well on its own, studios capitalized on the interest and created several poorly made sequels, draining everything good about the original IP.
“Final Destination” followed the same path, delivering uninspired sequels all following the same, old hat formula. Even “Saw,” with James Wan’s involvement, reached a point where the premise was wearing very thin until “Saw X” breathed new life into the franchise
This trend of using IP to squeeze every last dollar out permeates throughout Hollywood. Countless versions of “Once Upon a Time in China” and “Young and Dangerous” to endless sequels of “Ex-Files” and “If You Are the One,” further demonstrating the industry’s love to milk IPs
An Unexpected Success Story
Sometimes, defying expectations, something special happens. While"Undisputed II" initially began as a carbon copy of the original meant to pit two boxers facing each other in prison. However, the unthinkable suddenly happened: Boyka, originally envisioned as the main villian, broke out of his supposed role to become a fan-favorite character!
Furthermore, it made Scott Adkins a major star! Once the producers saw this sudden stroke of luck, Hollywood wasted no time honing down on Boyka’s story and developing it further! With this stroke of genius, the saga eventually became the highly popular “Undisputed III” and “Undisputed IV,” both making up the Boyka film trilogy!
The “Undisputed” series grants a fascinating insight into Hollywood’s operational style.
“The Fast and the Furious” shares a similar and fascinating origin story. At first, Universal Pictures really had no high hopes for their new film! As a generic undercover cop film, with then-unknown actors, it seemed destined for small success.
But, something unexpected happened! Upon release, the “The Fast and the Furious” garnered strong box office results and good reviews, becoming somesort of minor cultural phenomenon! Because it was so successful, Universal wanted to immediately greenlight a sequel!
Refining the Formula
Unfortunately, Universal incorrectly assumed that the audiences were only interested in the under-cover cop narrative. Because of this, “2Fast 2Furious” followed this same them, in addition to featuring Paul Walker reprising his role as an undercover cop in a new location. Vin Diesel’s character, was written out of the sequel viewing him as unnecessary!
Because Walker was the focus, it was criticized for lacking the very formula that made the original work: Thrilling racing! Acedemia quickly adapted and altered course. “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” primarily focused on racing, and Walker was written out!
Still, Universal stumbled on yet another opportunity… Though audiences like the racing part, they missed the narrative. “Tokyo Drift” was ultimately the series’ weakest.
After that blunder, Universal heard the cries of its audience and brought back Walker and Diesel for “Fast and Furious,” the fourth movie in the franchise! They realized they needed to integrate both the furious narrative and high-speed racing! Because of this discovery, and the focus on “Family,” the “Fast and Furious” suddenly had a massive rebirth! This transformed it from as B-movie-like production into a huge blockbuster juggernaut! Finally, “Fast Five” completed the franchises transformation from that of a B-movie into an A-list franchise!
The “Undisputed” Difference
The “Undisputed” series didn’t have the luck with having a visionary like Justin Lin to steer the ship like “The Fast and the Furious” did. It needed someone like him. Instead of having that visionary however, it instead relied in full on Scott Adkins, whose insane fighting skill elevated the films!
Scott Adkins situation in the west is very similar to that of Xie Miao in Asian cinema! Though generally unappreciated or unknown to the general movie-going audience as a whole, he is a prominent box office name to those who enjoy smaller budget martial arts films.
Back to the Basics
Returning to “Undisputed,” let’s return to how it began in the first place…
This prequel, without Boyka, originally starred Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames, whom were two of the most recognizable black actors from the early to mid 2000s! At the time, Snipes was riding high on the then-ongoing success of the “Blade” movie trilogy!.
In all actuality, “Blade” was Marvel’s first big hit ever! Prior to “Iron Man,” “Blade,” launched in 1998, raked in $130 million at the global box office. (That same year, the Will Smith smash “Enemy of the State,” also made $100 when adjusted for inflation), showing off the I.P’s appeal.! The Blade trilogy would then go on to earn New Line Cinema a fortune!
“Undisputed” was a blip in a diverse performance filmography for Snipes at the time who starred various roles in all types of genres ranging from action films, spy thrillers, inspirational stories, and romance!. Unfortunately, Snipes’ career would come to a screeching halt after he was arrested for tax evasion and given a three-year prison sentence. Similar to what could have been Fan Bingbing’s ultimate swan song moment, Snipes never regained the same level of momentum as an actor after being released!
His tarnished image is the primary reason he did not return for “Undisputed II…” Snipes, by that point, was serving time in prison…
Ving Rhames is more known for being a supporting actor is best known for playing the role of hacker Luther Stickell in the popular “Mission Impossible” series! He always played as a valuable and dependable partner to Ethan hunt.
Rhames starts as the lead throughout the first film! His character is the Heavyweight World Boxing Champion in the film; while in prison he clashes with another inmate who claims prison boxing superiority. The two would eventually face off; Iceman initially loses creating a dent in his reputation! It serves among one of his only defeats!.
Even though Rhames’ perspective is shown, the movie really serves as a support for Snipes to push forward! Though the story is told through the eyes of James McAvoy’s character, his interactions mostly revolve with Ugandan dictator Amin. “Undisputed” does this same pattern! Though branded as a a dual-lead film, Wesley Snipes really is the heart and soul of the first arc!
Scott Adkins would ride in on the heels of what Snipes created!
Initial Impressions
Without the sequel and Adkins, “Undiputed” may initially land as an average film! In today’s day and age it can be considered very basic and slow paced at some points; it serves a strong purpose in the film making.
“Undisputed,” served as a prominent and modern way to show off black excellence in film! It had a solid cast, and amazing soundtrack! It’s sharp editing, fast-paced cinematography, and amazing fight scenes really elevated it to go mainstream! The core audience has been captured because of the high production value and care! It became more than a standard black film; it pushed on its boundaries!
The film’s greatest strength lies within it’s high ambiguity! There is no clear antagonist or protagonist shown; everyone is only surviving in the prison system. This element is underground fighting in totality, the only outlet for freedom to do what you need to do for yourself to escape. The absence is what makes fighting the movies main point!
The viseral matches hit hard!
Thought the film’s fight scenes can be less than satisfying!
Overall, if you aren’t a huge fan of the series yourself? Feel free to pass on the first “Undisputed.” You will be fine as is
