Boyka: The Undisputed (2016) Aka: Undisputed 4: Boyka
Starring: Scott Adkins, Teodora Duhovnikova, Alon Aboutboul, Julian Vergov, Brahim Chab, Paul Chahidi, Petio Petkov, Valentin Ganev, Vladimir Mihaylov, Martyn Ford
Director: Todor Chapkanov
Action Director: Tim Man
I always find it interesting how the Undisputed franchise switched protagonists at the third film, going from boxer George “Iceman” Chambers (Ving Rhames in the first, Michael Jai White in the second) to Russian convinct Yuri Boyka. I know little about the first film. The second film had Chambers being framed for a crime he didn’t commit just so the Russians could have him imprisoned and provide a decent opponent for Boyka. His arc ended there and finding another reason to go to jail would be just as silly as John McClane finding himself in the middle of terrorist activity a third, fourth or fifth time? I mean, how absurd.
So, starting with the third film—and due in large part to Scott Adkins’s growing popularity—the torch was passed to villain Yuri Boyka, who became more of an antihero. He fights against people who are obviously bad, but he’s still a complete asshole to everyone around him. This fourth film humanizes him even more, even though he still lives for the fight and acknowledges that fighting and beating people to a pulp is really the only thing he’s good for.
The film opens in Kiev, Ukraine a few years after the events of the third movie. I’m wondering if the Ukraine-Russia conflict has anything to do with the difficulties in making a fifth film. Boyka is living there fighting in underground matches and splitting his purses between a simple lifestyle and donations to the local Orthodox church. The priest (Vladimir Mihaylov, of The Legend of Hercules and The Expendables 4) tries to convince Boyka of giving up his violent ways, but the latter still believes that fighting skills is the only talent God bestowed upon him. Shortly after his latest match, Boyka receives a visit from his current agent, Kiril (Paul Chahidi), who has some good news: if he wins his next match, he’ll be eligible to participate in an Eastern European Martial Arts Championship in Budapest.
Boyka is more than happy with the news, since it means that he may hit the big leagues and can leave underground fights behind. His next opponent is a Russian amateur named Viktor (Emilien de Falco, who has worked as Jean-Claude Van Damme’s stunt double). Their fight is well-matched initially, but Boyka turns out to be the newcomer’s superior. The problem is that the dude does not know when to simply stay down, getting up and trying to ambush Yuri after the latter thinks he has won. Boyka gives him a sound thrashing for his treachery. The problem is that that last punch to the head gives Viktor a concussion from which he does not recover. He passes on in the hospital a few days later.
Although he is a fighter at heart, Boyka no longer wishes to be an actual murderer (as opposed to his life prior to getting incarcerated) and is crushed by this revelation. He learns that Viktor left behind a wife named Alma (Teodora Duhovnikova, of The Shepherd: Border Patrol and Day of the Dead: Bloodline) and some sizable debts. The money is owed to a crime boss in Grovny named Zourab (Alon Aboutboul, of Rambo III and London has Fallen), who lusts after Alma. For now, he is content with making her work as a waitress at his fight club to pay off the debts. But it is only a matter a time before he either tries to rape her or force her into prostitution.
Against Kiril’s wishes, Boyka takes a clandestine van across the border into Russia with the intent of apologizing to Alma and giving her his winnings as compensation. After all, the tournament in Budapest is in two weeks. Once in Grovny, Boyka finds out that Zourab is keeping Alma on a very tight leash, complete with a guard at the community center she runs. He finds out where she’s working and discovers her situation. He tries to apologize, but she refuses to accept it. He ultimately makes a deal with Zourab to fight in three matches, including against the club’s reigning champion, Igor (Brahim Chab, a member of Jackie Chan’s stunt team and choreographer of the recent Monkey Man film). But you know what they way about honor amongst thieves…
Undisputed III was subtitled Redemption, but to be honest, that film only covered Yuri Boyka’s physical redemption. He had been the best. He ignominiously lost to Chambers. And he reclaimed his position as the “most complete fighter in the world” by defeating Marko Zaror with a bum leg. Boyka: Undisputed is about Yuri Boyka’s spiritual redemption. He is already making amends for his violent past (and present) by giving to the church. But he soon finds himself in a situation where he must make some great sacrifices in order to redeem himself in full. I know a lot of people did not like the ending and felt he deserved better. I get it. I think it shows what lengths he is willing to go to in order for his soul to feel peace and have a good night’s sleep.
The action direction has switched once again, this time going to Tim Man. Tim Man had already choreographed Scott Adkins in the superlative Ninja: Shadow of a Tear by this point, so he knows how to get the best out of Scott. And as expected, Scott gets a great exercise for his aerial kicks. The same way that Donnie Yen’s signature kick is his jumping back kick (which Scott performs here), Adkins’s signature movie is probably the jumping crescent (or spin) kick that goes over the opponent’s head and turns into a drop kick with the other leg on the way down. I believe that it is known as the “Guyver Kick.” You can bet your last dollar that he’ll do that in this film.
But that is not all. In one fight, he does a variation of of “Guyver Kick” in which he does a jumping front kick and then comes down with a drop kick from the other leg. While fighting Viktor, he does a “Bicycle Kick,” or double jumping front kick with a drop kick twist. He also does a Jump Double Back Kick, similar to how Donnie Yen closes his fight with Michael Woods in Tiger Cage II. In his fight against Boris (Trayan Milenov, who did fight choreography in Black Widow and Secret Invasion), there’s a neat move where Adkins gets his legs kicked out from under him, but rallies that momentum in a double “No-Shadow Kick,” or jumping side kick. He also does the Donnie Yen trademark jumping back kick, only to throw his other leg out for a second hit*. And watch for him doing a jumping crescent kick that he transforms into a leg scissor takedown.
For many, the best fight of the film is Boyka’s second bout for Zourab, which pits him against the Ozerov Brothers, played by choreographer Tim Man and Andreas Nguyen (aka Andy Long, who was a member of Jackie Chan’s Stunt Team in the mid 2010s). That features some strong two-on-one choreography as he has to deal with a pair of talented kickers. They are not nearly as muscular as Adkins, but they have the speed and agility and numbers to make up for it. Boyka takes a brutal flip kick to the back at one point that made me wince.
The big finale pits Adkins against a Russian convict named Koshmar, played by man-mountain Martyn Ford. Ford is not especially flexible or technique oriented: he just a six-plus foot mass of muscle, not unlike Nathan Jones (but more intimidating in appearance). That way, the fight is more about Boyka trying to survive long enough to wear him down rather than out-skill him. It is his hardest fight, mainly because Ford is such a superior physical specimen. What for Adkins doing the Double Jump Back Kick again, but turning it into a Triple Jump Back Kick when he throws in an extra front kick on the way down. My gripes about the finale can be summarized as a) there is little dramatic tension leading up to it and b) it is a little short. There was greater drama in the preceding fight against Igor than this one. But like the rest of the movie, it is a fine showcase for the talents for our favorite Russian antihero played by a British guy with a faux-Russian accent.
No comments:
Post a Comment