Undisputed (2002)

48% of critics liked it
(104 reviews)
54% of users liked it
(8,486 ratings)

Director and screenwriter Walter Hill returns to one of his favorite themes -- desperate and violent men using force to escape from an unforgiving environment -- in this action drama set behind bars. Monroe Hutchen (Wesley Snipes) was once a promising heavyweight contender until he was convicted of… More Director and screenwriter Walter Hill returns to one of his favorite themes -- desperate and violent men using force to escape from an unforgiving environment -- in this action drama set behind bars. Monroe Hutchen (Wesley Snipes) was once a promising heavyweight contender until he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole at the Sweetwater maximum security prison in California. Now, Hutchen boxes behind bars, and he's become the champion of a loosely organized prison fighting circuit. When heavyweight champion James "Iceman" Chambers (Ving Rhames) enters Sweetwater after being convicted of rape, Hutchens finds the serious competitor in the same lockup for the first time, though Chambers scoffs at the jailhouse champ. After Hutchens challenges the arrogant Chambers to a bout, aging mafioso Emmanuel "Mendy" Ripstein (Peter Falk) swings a deal that will earn Chambers an early release from prison and pull in a million dollars in bets from guards and inmates if the two men will meet in the ring for a last-man-standing bout without referees. Undisputed also features Michael Rooker, Fisher Stevens, rapper Master P, and former Yo! MTV Raps host Ed Lover. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Walter Hill
Written By: Walter Hill, David Giler
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Aug 23, 2002 Wide
On DVD: Nov 26, 2002
Studio: Miramax Films

Critic Reviews

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Hill looks to be going through the motions, beginning with the pale script.
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
Walter Hill's prison-boxing flick Undisputed could have been a great B, but it represents a failure of nerve.
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
A shrewd and splendidly volatile B movie structured around a highly original gambit of suspense.
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
If Hill isn't quite his generation's Don Siegel (or Robert Aldrich), it's because there's no discernible feeling beneath the chest hair; it's all bluster and cliché.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
I've got nobody to root for ... in a movie like this I want to root for one of the boxers in the ring.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
An average B-movie with no aspirations to be anything more.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
A forgettable prison boxing movie.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
[A] rock-hard, streamlined "B" movie.
Chuck O'Leary, FulvueDrive-in.com
A solid, efficient B movie that holds the screen masterfully for an all-too-brief 90 minutes.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
As with any boxing movie or fight card, the main event doesn't come until the very end, and like too many pay-per-view packages the undercard is underwhelming.
Mark Collette, Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)
We have no idea where these characters have been, so we don't care where they're going.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Too reliant on its already-dated "topicality" and listlessly coasting on a laundry list of prisonyard plot points.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a B picture in an era that doesn't really allow for them.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
A história se desenvolve de forma curiosa, mas a luta final deixa a desejar.
Nick Rogers, State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
In a better movie, we wouldn't feel compelled to choose which fighter to root for.
Bryan Reesman, Citysearch
"Undisputed" could have been compelling, but it ultimately plays out as a standard prison action movie.
Ron Bishow, Katrillion.com
At 90 minutes this movie is short, but it feels much longer.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
The irony and ambiguity best represent the metaphorical, but here the writer-director makes his ideas too vague to ever really get a grip on.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Phil H

The Mike Tyson story this could be hehe Mr Chambers (Rhames) goes to jail for an accusation of rape and becomes an even bigger media typhoon than he was before. At first I didn't think much of the film to be honest, it was cliched and kinda boring really plus Rhames as… More
The Mike Tyson story this could be hehe Mr Chambers (Rhames) goes to jail for an accusation of rape and becomes an even bigger media typhoon than he was before. At first I didn't think much of the film to be honest, it was cliched and kinda boring really plus Rhames as 'Chambers' was an annoying character who you wanted to see beaten. I soon discovered that my feelings towards Chambers actually fuelled my enjoyment as the film continues and Snipes character 'Monroe' comes into play, the tense build up between the two up to the obvious finale does get you going. Lets not get over excited here this is your typical 'Rocky-ish' story with all the usual characters, dialog and scenes, not original but a good beat em up when the fists fly. The final fight is well done and you do feel the blows as Snipes and Rhames match up and sweat over each other haha I'm pretty sure Rhames would win in a real fight though as he looks pretty darn solid.
Al S

A solid prison drama with strong performances by Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames, but the film lacks in any form of human emotion or character study and just leaves a dark shell that isn't totally filled and makes you feel unsatisfied. But it's not to say it isn't… More
A solid prison drama with strong performances by Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames, but the film lacks in any form of human emotion or character study and just leaves a dark shell that isn't totally filled and makes you feel unsatisfied. But it's not to say it isn't well-crafted from it's director, Walter Hill. It also has one of the best boxing showdowns shown in a film since the original Rocky and Raging Bull.
Lady D

Not a film that holds your attention well. Overacted, over the top on the fight sound effects, hugely energetic fighting for a heavyweight fight. You really are not missing out on anything by skipping this film.
Dean !

A very solid boxing film set in prison. Almost seems to be aimed at one World heavy weight champ in the real world! The boxing scenes are done very well, but the build up isn't as good as say the better Rocky films. Not a bad effort and worth watching when it's on.
Steven V

I enjoyed Undisputed for the first thirty minutes or so but after that I became lost. The character we never get to know, oddly, is the hero, played by Wesley Snipes. I can't help but feel that this film lost it in the editing room. Somehow… More
I enjoyed Undisputed for the first thirty minutes or so but after that I became lost. The character we never get to know, oddly, is the hero, played by Wesley Snipes. I can't help but feel that this film lost it in the editing room. Somehow this movie feels like half a movie. Like important parts have been chopped away. I just can't imagine writers Walter Hill and David Giler writing a script with such a non-dimensional lead character. While action film veteran Walter Hill has learned some stylish new tricks to filmmaking, they're not enough to save his latest effort. All in all, two incarcerated boxers go head to head, but it's the movie that gets K.O.'d.
Christopher B

Criminally (get it, it takes place at a prison) overlooked boxing film that is edge of your seat exciting from start to finish. I can't believe this didn't gain new life on video.