"Undisputed" is a superior example of its type: a formulaic boxing/prison movie. Its performances, not only by Snipes and Rhames in the two leads but also from superb character actors Peter Falk and Michael Rooker, dig it out of the slump of familiarity, as do some pretty good choreography.
The direction felt pretty pedestrian, I admit, though at least veteran action filmmaker Walter Hill had the sense to let Falk do some scene stealing monologues, as he did with Eddie Murphy in "48 Hrs." some twenty years before "Undisputed".
I also could have done without the titles on screen and unnecessary flashbacks. The movie has the feel of a made-for-TV movie. You get the impression it was produced quickly. There is an economy about it that prevents it from having a feel or tone of its own, but it's still fun to see Snipes and Rhames do their thing.
The sound effects in the fight scenes are also noticeably over-the-top, especially if you're a boxing fan. I remember reading that punch sound effects in movies are produced by hitting a cushion with a ping pong paddle. Here, every blow is given that beefy sound effect, even punches to the body that shouldn't be anywhere near that loud.
Lastly, I will note that Rhames plays an obvious Mike Tyson stand-in, a heavyweight champ who is sent to jail for a rape that he claims he didn't commit. He would go on to play another famous boxer, named this time, in "Phantom Punch", the story of Sonny Liston, which was also a lot better than one might expect.
The direction felt pretty pedestrian, I admit, though at least veteran action filmmaker Walter Hill had the sense to let Falk do some scene stealing monologues, as he did with Eddie Murphy in "48 Hrs." some twenty years before "Undisputed".
I also could have done without the titles on screen and unnecessary flashbacks. The movie has the feel of a made-for-TV movie. You get the impression it was produced quickly. There is an economy about it that prevents it from having a feel or tone of its own, but it's still fun to see Snipes and Rhames do their thing.
The sound effects in the fight scenes are also noticeably over-the-top, especially if you're a boxing fan. I remember reading that punch sound effects in movies are produced by hitting a cushion with a ping pong paddle. Here, every blow is given that beefy sound effect, even punches to the body that shouldn't be anywhere near that loud.
Lastly, I will note that Rhames plays an obvious Mike Tyson stand-in, a heavyweight champ who is sent to jail for a rape that he claims he didn't commit. He would go on to play another famous boxer, named this time, in "Phantom Punch", the story of Sonny Liston, which was also a lot better than one might expect.