Underground (2007)

Underground (2007)

 

Starring: Mark Strange, Nathan Lewis, Joey Ansah, Leon Sua, Glenn Salvage, Beau Fowler, Shane Steyn, Liang Yang, Zara Phythian, William Mickleburgh, Scott Houston, Chris Smith, Fidel Nanton, Danny John-Jules, Gary Webster, Leonard Fenton, Gordon Alexander, Sophie Linfield, Dave Wang
Director: Kee Cheong Cheung
Action Director: David Foreman, Matt Routledge, Mark Strange

 

Underground is surprisingly a good film, and deserves a higher score than the 4.2 rating it currently has on the IMDB. It is different from a martial arts film, and its unique approach to the “illegal tournament” sub-genre makes for an entertaining ride. Director Kee Cheong Cheung has worked on several other low-budget UK films in subsequent years, all of which are rated even lower than this one. But if he displays the same ability to do something a little different with well-worn tropes, then he may be a filmmaker worth revisiting.

The movie takes an almost documentarian approach to an illegal fighting tournament, centered in the UK. The general idea is that 12 fighters will fight each other in a series of eliminatory rounds until only one is left, who will walk away with a 500,000-pound purse. Said money will be provided by six “patrons,” all of whom will donate 100 grand into the proverbial pot. Each patron will choose two fighters on the roster to “sponsor.” The sponsor of the winning fighter will walk away with 500,000 pounds as well, with the remaining 200 grand going to the tournament organizer (Fidel Nanton) as a “handling fee.” I’m guessing that the organizer also makes money via online betting, as is implied by the number of newspaper clippings that appear onscreen during the opening credits.

The 12 fighters are selected from various walks and backgrounds in the UK, although we never really learn how the organizers find some of these people. The fighters spend six weeks sequestered in a gym—at least during the day—where they spend their time training until their fight. The tournament runs on a one-loss-elimination rule, with a special eliminatory round for the semi-finals (as it from twelve to six to three fighters).

Our fighters are:

The Homeless – An ex-con who served time for battering his wife. He spends his days observing his young daughter from afar. He is played by actor-stuntman Mark Strange, whose training focused on “Chinese Kickboxing,” which I assume is Sanda.

The Priest – A Catholic Priest who is a reformed fighter and who wants to build an orphanage with his winnings. He is played by actor Glenn Salvage, best known for Left for Dead and The Silencer.

The Triad – A Chinese gangster who needs the winnings that he borrowed from his uncle (who looks like Xi Jiping) and lost in gambling. Played by actor-stuntman Leon Sua, who was Donnie Yen’s stunt double in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Apparently, Sua studied Shaolin Five Ancestors, Taekwondo and Boxing.

The Kid – A young martial arts upstart who just wants to make a name for himself in the fighting world. He is played by Scott Houston, whose style appears to be a mix of wushu and parkour.

The Instructor- A martial arts instructor—presumably Taekwondo—who wants the money to build a better life for his family. He is played by William Mickleburgh, who is indeed a Taekwondo champion.

The Ex-Con – A former bouncer who served time for brutally beating a man while on the job. He is now a family man and wants the money to give his wife and daughter a better existence. He is played by Nathan Lewis, who has done stuntwork in films like Exodus: Gods and Kings and The Legend of Tarzan. Lewis is a kickboxing champion and trains in Lau Gar kung fu.

The Delinquent – A self-taught martial artist who has had numerous run-ins with the law, but always seems to come out on top. He appears to have anti-social personality disorder, but wants to give his girlfriend Jackie a better life. He is played by Beau Fowler (Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday) and has studied karate, capoeira, and different kung fu styles, like Wuzuquan and Wuqiquan.

The Teacher – The only female participant is a teacher at a correctional school who is ready to throw down with the inmates when necessary. She is played by Zara Phythian, who studied Shotokan karate and Taekwondo.

The Soldier – A British soldier who went A.W.O.L. for…reasons. It just seems the guy likes to fight. Played by Chris Smith, who was on “American Gladiators” at some point.

The Model – A narcissistic misogynist model who wants to show the world just how great he is. Played by Joey Ansah, who studied Taekwondo and hip-hop dancing.

The Foreigner – A kid from China who works menial jobs to support his aging parents. He is played by actor-stuntman Liang Yan, who has a wushu background.

The Police Officer – A policeman with brutality issues who wants to give his cancer-stricken mother a comfortable send off. Played by South African stuntman Shane Steyn, who trained in Goju-Ryu karate and Taekwondo.

Because of the film’s documentary-like approach, there is no one main character. We spend time with most of the characters, especially those that move on to subsequent rounds. Their backgrounds and motivations are revealed before each fight, and we often get to see the reactions of the losers, which is often overlooked in your average Bloodsport-esque tournament film. We also are treated to the backgrounds of the Patrons and their interactions as they plan the fights and react to their sponsored fighters winning or losing. I for one liked this approach, because it does allow for a full and satisfying tournament, which is something I often complain about in these sorts of movies. Even Bloodsport doesn’t make a huge amount of sense in terms of the tournament bracket approach to the Kumite.

The only real villain is Fidel, the organizer. And even then, he’s not a villain in the absolute sense. He’s the organizer of an illegal tournament, which is bad. He is very callous to the injuries the participants sustain. But at heart, he is just a businessman who caters to a specific clientele with a warped sense of entertainment. He doesn’t rig the fights or do anything that would give any one fighter the unfair advantage, like in Undisputed III.

The fights are staged by veteran Hollywood stuntman David Foreman. He is best known for playing Leonardo in the original 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film. He has worked on lots of movies, and was the fight choreographer for The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Although there is a bit of quick editing and unnecessary close-ups (keeping within the pseudo-documentary style of the movie), the fight choreography is pretty solid by Western (the Hemisphere, not the genre) movie standards. The fights involving those actors with kung fu backgrounds are especially impressive in a visual sense. Most of the fighting is hand-to-hand, although there is some weapons dueling during the semi-final elimination sequence. All of the actors get to show off their skills, so that is appreciated.

In the end, Underground is an unexpected minor gem. And if Hollywood remade it—or did a sequel revolving around a States-centered iteration of the tournament--to give American local talent a chance, I actually would not mind.