Scott Adkins brings redeemed Russia

Scott Adkins brings redeemed Russian MMA fighter Yuri Boyka back to the screen for the third time, delivering another helping of blistering bloody bouts of carefully choreographed carnage. Outside the ring, director Todor Chapkanov fails to complement the action with a solid narrative or naturalistic dialogue, but fans of the Undisputed series won’t care one bit. For the late-night action crowd, Boyka: Undisputed is a knockout.

Picking up some years after the events in Undisputed III: Redemption, we catch up with the world’s most complete fighter in Kiev, still honing his trade for cash on the underground fight circuit. Boyka (Adkins) has found religion, donating all of his winnings to a local church, but the demons of his past sins continue to haunt him. When he accidentally kills his opponent in the ring, during a qualifying match for a top tier European contest, Boyka seeks out his opponent’s widow in the hope of laying his demons to rest.

Plot comes a distant second to spectacle in Boyka: Undisputed, a franchise that has morphed from its original entry even more than the Fast & Furious series. Walter Hill’s 2002 original was a straight-up boxing flick starring Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames, before its sequel became a vehicle for martial artist Michael Jai White. Under the stewardship of Israeli action director Isaac Florentine, the series focused increasingly on mixed martial arts, and specifically the changing fortunes of villain Yuri Boyka.

Adkins and Florentine’s relationship has blossomed ever since, evolving through the Undisputed and Ninja series into one of the most exciting collaborations in action cinema today. While Florentine serves only as producer here on part 4, anyone familiar with his work will see his fingerprints all over Boyka: Undisputed’s electrifying fight sequences. There is a fluidity, pace and realism at work that will frequently make audiences forget that what they are watching isn’t a genuine UFC throw down. Adkins, who recently turned 40, has never looked better or faster, spinning in the air like a pirouetting alley cat, before unleashing unholy hell on his adversaries in a volley of bone-crunching kicks and punches.

The film is undeniably let down by what occurs outside of the ring. Finding himself back in Russia, Boyka is not only constantly avoiding the authorities - he is an escaped convict let’s not forget - but also angers local mob boss Zourab (Alon Aboutboul), who has his eye on beautiful widow Alma (Teodora Duhovnikova). While she initially spurns Boyka’s confession and offer of penance in the form of charitable support, she inevitably warms to our gruff anti-hero. Sadly, David White’s script has little notion of nuance or subtlety, while Chapkanov’s direction always feels like it’s killing time until the next fight.

Featuring a host of formidable adversaries, including the towering presence of Brahim Achabbakhe, Boyka: Undisputed may not match the all-round package of its predecessor, Undisputed III: Redemption, which remains far and away the pinnacle of the series, but is packed full of enough high-kicking, face-pummelling action and deadpan deliveries to ensure we have not seen the last of Yuri Boyka.

結果 (中文) 1:

斯科特 · 阿德金斯带来救赎俄罗斯 mma 尤里 · 伯伊卡回到屏幕第三次，提供另一种帮助的起泡精心屠杀的血腥较量。外环主任托多尔 · Chapkanov 未能补充行动与固体的叙事或自然主义的对话，但却无可争议的系列的粉丝不会在乎一位。为深夜行动人群，伯伊卡︰ 毫无疑问是淘汰赛。 捡起几年后的事件中无可争议的三︰ 救赎，我们赶上世界上最完整的战斗机在基辅，仍然珩磨他贸易现金在地下的奋斗是电路。伯伊卡 （阿德金斯） 已发现宗教，捐献所有他的奖金，对一个地方的教会，但他的过去的罪恶的魔鬼继续困扰着他。当他无意中杀死他的对手在圆环，在顶级欧洲大赛预选赛期间时，伯伊卡寻找奠定他的恶魔休息，希望他的对手的寡妇。 剧情来到遥远的第二伯伊卡的景象︰ 毫无疑问的已从其原始条目甚至超过快速和激情系列演变的专营权。沃尔特 · 希尔 2002年原来直向上拳击电影主演韦斯利 · 斯奈普斯和克鲁斯之前它的续集成为武术家迈克尔洁白色的工具。在领导下的以色列动作导演艾萨克佛罗伦萨，一系列日益侧重混合的武术和特别是命运改变的恶棍尤里 · 伯伊卡。 阿德金斯和佛罗伦萨的关系已亭亭玉立，自从通过 Undisputed 和忍者系列今天演变成在动作电影中最令人兴奋的合作之一。而佛罗伦萨仅作为对第 4 部分的制作人，熟悉他的工作的人都会看到他的指纹都伯伊卡︰ 无可争议的通电战斗序列。那里是流动性，速度和在工作中会经常让观众忘了他们看着现实主义瘫痪也不会真正的 UFC 扔。阿德金斯，他刚满 40 岁，已永远不会看起来更好或更快的旋转在空中像自旋的野猫之前对他的敌人在一连串的骨头嘎吱嘎吱的释放邪恶地狱脚踢和拳击。 这部电影不可否认的是让什么发生在环外的下跌。发现自己回到了俄罗斯，伯伊卡而不只一味回避当局 — — 他是一名逃犯让我们不忘了-但也昂热当地黑帮老大 Zourab (Alon Aboutboul)，有他的眼睛上美丽遗孀阿尔玛 (Teodora Duhovnikova)。虽然她最初摒弃伯伊卡的忏悔和赎罪的慈善支持形式提供，她不可避免地温暖我们粗暴的反英雄。可悲的是，大卫怀特的脚本有细微差别或微妙的小概念，虽然 Chapkanov 的方向总是感觉就像它消磨时间，直到下一个战斗。 Featuring a host of formidable adversaries, including the towering presence of Brahim Achabbakhe, Boyka: Undisputed may not match the all-round package of its predecessor, Undisputed III: Redemption, which remains far and away the pinnacle of the series, but is packed full of enough high-kicking, face-pummelling action and deadpan deliveries to ensure we have not seen the last of Yuri Boyka.