Boyka: Undisputed – It’s Movie Time!

I’ll lead off by saying that I am a huge fan of the Undisputed series of movies. Undisputed 2 is hands down my favorite. But, we aren’t here to talk about Undisputed 2, we’re here to discuss the latest installment in the Undisputed series: Boyka: Undisputed. Like I said, I’m a huge fan of the entire catalog of Undisputed movies, and I don’t necessarily like the redemptive arc that they’ve given Scott Adkins’ Yuri Boyka. He was a much more compelling figure as the villain of Undisputed 2, whose unrelenting shouts of “I’m the most complete fighter ever” trumpeted out over the cheers of the Gulag residents who lined up to watch him completely decimate his opponent for the night… Right up until Michael Jai White’s George “Iceman” Chambers silenced his ego with a savagely broken leg.

Boyka: Undisputed

Boyka: Undisputed leads off with Boyka battling an opponent in a boxing ring. This fight has no bearing on the plot, its purpose is to remind us of how awesome Boyka is, it does this very well if I do say so myself. We find that he has managed to successfully stay out of prison (he was saved from a firing squad at the end of Undisputed 3: Redemption if you’re curious) and he’s continuing to fight, on the up and up this time. We find that he is fighting to get recruited into fighting at a tournament that will allow him to become a professional fighter.

At the fight where the story really begins, our hero accidentally kills his opponent, something the old Boyka would happily have done, but not this new and improved Boyka! After Boyka learns that his opponent did indeed pass on from his unrelenting prison fighting skills, Boyka feels conflicted about the type of person that he is. The rest of the movie is Boyka trying to atone for his sins by helping the beautiful wife of the deceased fighter. Unfortunately for Boyka, the wife (her name is Alma for those who’re curious) is being plagued by a mob boss who just so happens to have quite the stable of fighters for Boyka to run wild through… Which is handy because that happens to be the way that Boyka can save Alma. The mob boss is looking for a fighter who can really go toe to toe with his champion. Which, Boyka can indeed do.

All in all, as far as plots for martial arts movies go, this one doesn’t break any new ground in seeing the culmination of Boyka’s transition from villain to hero. I think the part that fascinates me most about Boyka is how his religious views have changed. As a good Russian boy, his Russian Orthodox heritage is very apparent; he says at least once in this movie “God gave me this talent” in regards to his being the most complete fighter ever.

In Undisputed 2, it’s very obvious that he feels like he can justify his in-ring actions by praying to God before he fights, and confessing his sins often. As Boyka: Undisputed progresses, you see that Boyka has matured in many different ways. Not the least of which is his development of a sense of remorse, a good thing no doubt, otherwise Boyka needing to redeem himself wouldn’t make that much sense… I will say that the story, however unoriginal, is very well told, and I find myself watching with more attention than I normally pay to martial arts movies outside of watching the fight scenes.

Although I will say that the ending of this movie is appropriate, and I absolutely love all of the fight scenes in this movie. They’re incredibly well done, have brilliant pacing to them, and are fully action packed. Scott Adkins rarely puts together a bad fight, and one thing I really get a sense of from this movie is that there is a familiarity between all of the stuntmen and Scott Adkins that really makes the fight scenes come alive.

Even the bodyguard at the school who gets cold clocked by Boyka at least twice; once on his way into the school, and then again on the way out. The second time was hilarious, because it screamed ‘grown man temper tantrum,’ and that always makes me giggle. If I had to pick a fight that would convince you to watch the movie I strongly suggest watching Boyka’s fight with the Ozerov brothers. This fight highlights every good thing about strong fight choreography as it covers all of its martial arts bases; striking, throws, shows strong combinations from the Ozerovs, and it does a good job of showing what happens when Boyka puts too much attention on one opponent.

I honestly rewatched that fight twice as I was putting my notes together. Before I get into the final fight of the movie, I’d like to give major props for having Boyka get injured. I’m really not a fan when the protagonist of the movie isn’t affected by his opponents attacks. When they actually make contact that is… I understand it in some context, but it makes the move so much better (I won’t say believable, because well, a good movie makes us suspend disbelief right?) But having your hero battle back from a wrecked back (again, see the Overov fight!!!) or getting absolutely beat down by a 6’8” tattooed monster, makes the story better, and it keeps me more invested, because it lets you root for the underdog.

Now, onto the final fight. The mob boss’s champion is Koshmar, played by Martyn Ford, a ginormous slab of muscle and martial arts skills Seriously, It’s a small role, but he plays it so well, and it crafts a beautiful match. It’s always good letting fighters play to their strengths and this fight shows that. From Ford’s character being incredibly fast, but direct and simple in his attacks, and Boyka showing off all of his powerful acrobatics and having to dig down deep and show his absolute best to even stagger Koshmar. This fight really kept me on the edge of my chair!

All in all this is a solid addition into the pantheon of martial arts movies. With beautiful choreography and a well told if predictable story. This is an entertaining and eminently rewatchable movie! I give it 4 out of 5 stars on the Goodall Rating Scale. You can find more information on the film at IMDB