Plot
When heavyweight champion James 'Iceman' Chambers lands in prison, the resident gangster arranges a boxing match with the reigning prison champ.
Release Year: 2002
Rating: 5.9/10 (9,706 voted)
Critic's Score: 58/100
Director:
Walter Hill
Stars: Wesley Snipes, Ving Rhames, Peter Falk
Storyline George "Ice Man" Chambers (Rhames) is a top ranked heavyweight boxer. However Chambers has his world turned upside down when he is accused of rape and sent to prison. Upon his arrival he hears talk about Monroe Hutchen (Snipes) who is the top ranked prison boxing champ 10 years running. Immediately there is bad blood with Chambers not wanting to be second to no one which leads to a lunch room fight between the men. Figuring it will be a good way to make money fellow convict Emmanuel 'Mendy' Ripstein (Peter Falk) sets up a prison boxing match between the two men to decide who is the real UNDISPUTED champ. Michael Rooker plays a guard, Fisher Stevens, John Seda, and Master P co star.
Writers: David Giler, Walter Hill
Cast: Wesley Snipes
-
Monroe Hutchen
Ving Rhames
-
George 'Iceman' Chambers
Peter Falk
-
Mendy Ripstein
Michael Rooker
-
A.J. Mercker
Jon Seda
-
Jesus 'Chuy' Campos
Wes Studi
-
Mingo Pace
Fisher Stevens
-
James 'Ratbag' Kroycek
Dayton Callie
-
Yank Lewis
Amy Aquino
-
Darlene Early
Johnny Williams
-
Al
Joe D'Angerio
-
Vinnie
Nils Allen Stewart
-
Vern Van Zant
Denis Arndt
-
Warden Lipscom
Jim Lampley
-
Himself
Ed Lover
-
Marvin Bonds
Taglines:
At Sweetwater Prison, The World Heavyweight Champion Is About To Meet His Match.
Filming Locations: High Desert State Prison - 22010 Cold Creek Road, Indian Springs, Nevada, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $20,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: €390,820
(Spain)
(2 June 2002)
(207 Screens)
Gross: $12,398,628
(USA)
(6 October 2002)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Spain:
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USA:
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Argentina:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The title appears on screen four times during the entire film.
Quotes: Monroe Hutchens:
He's a fighter, I'm a fighter, if I'm better on that day, I win. That's just the way it goes. Someday, every fighter loses. Sooner or later, somebody comes along and they got your ticket. Too old, just wasn't your day, whatever the reason is. In the end, everybody gets beaten. The most you can hope for is that you stay on top a while. Be the best.
User Review
A Champ
Rating: 8/10
Director Walter Hill's "Undisputed" is a great guy's movie. It's a
fight movie set in Sweetwater Prison in the Mohavje Desert, starring
tough guys Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames. What distinguishes this guy's
movie are a couple things: the expert and lean direction of Hill, the
crisp and intelligent script by David Giler and Hill, and one of the
best boxing fight scenes ever done in the movies.
Ving Rhames plays former undisputed Heavyweight Champion James "Ice
Man" Chambers, convicted of rape and stripped of his title and
sentenced to serve his time in Sweetwater. While there he learns that
Monroe Hutchen (Wesley Snipes) is the "undisputed" champ at Sweetwater,
and he has been undefeated champion for ten years. For the Ice Man,
there can be only one champion, and that would be himself. It is
predictable that the two will fight at the end, and this is arranged by
mobster inmate Mendy Ripstein (a very good Peter Falk). What is not
predicable is that Giler and Hill make both Ice Man and Monroe
admirable and fascinating characters. You have to credit Rhames and
Snipes. Rhames takes what could have been a Mike Tyson caricature, and
transformed him into a complex and empathic character. His Ice Man is
vicious, crude, arrogant, but also both smart and articulate. Credit
Rhames on several occasions for scaring us with the ruthlessness of his
Ice Man, and for also surprising us with his understanding of his
stature in life as a Heavyweight champion. Ice Man is definitely the
more showy character. Snipes underplays it right as Monroe, a great
foil to the Ice Man. Snipes's Monroe is not afraid. Monroe knows that
"Any fighter can be beat on a given day...", and the game is how long
you stay on top and be the best. Monroe is matter of fact, and always
in control-- the last time he wasn't got him in prison. Ice and Monroe
are both convicts that operate by a code of honor, and that makes all
the difference in the movie. It's all about standing your ground, and
whoever wins, wins. "Undisputed" also is an homage to boxing and it's
history, because ultimately it is about two men seeing who is better on
that particular day. There is something pure and whole about that,
which is both appreciated and respected.
The final boxing match is awesome. Snipes is an accomplished martial
artist and he trained with Emmanuel Stewart. Snipes looks amazing as a
boxer-- body movement and combinations. Rhames also looks very
impressive and fearsome. It's a 15 minute fight in a 90 minute movie.
Walter Hill is the Man.
"Undisputed" is a no nonsense boxing movie that entertains and makes us
think. And that is not bad for a very unpretentious movie.
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