When Boyka:
Undisputed 4 was released last
year, I decided not to see it
at once. Part of this decision is
attributable
to the hipster in me and the fact that it
would be a popular movie, but also because I just
wasn’t thrilled that it’d been made. I maintain that Undisputed
III: Redemption ended the Yuri
Boyka story as well as it could, giving the character an open-ended
conclusion and
raising
the bar for martial arts action in
the process. I thought that
further installments could
only be weak cash-ins,
ignoring
the standard that Scott Adkins and Isaac Florentine had set. And you
know what? I was right.
On its own, B:U4
is an okay adventure with above-average action, but as the successor
to one of the most defining martial arts features of our era, it’s
a major disappointment.
The
story: After unintentionally killing an
opponent in
the ring,
Yuri Boyka (Adkins) travels back to Russia to offer his condolences
to the fighter’s wife (Teodora Duhovnikova). Upon finding her under
the thumb of a local kingpin (Alon Aboutboul), he demands to fight in
an underground tournament in exchange for her freedom.
To
be fair, the movie is better than I expected in at least one
department.
Upon finding out that it
wouldn’t actually be directed by Florentine but Todor Chapkonov –
maker
of really horrible TV features – I expected a big
step down in style and technical quality, but I’m happy to say that
this isn’t the case. Chapkonov mimics Florentine’s spaghetti
western style to the point that I wouldn’t have guessed it was
anyone else behind the camera. Thematically,
however, the movie is trouble,
beginning with the premise of having Boyka out of prison. It’s
initially as odd as seeing Dr.
Lecter outside of the asylum in Hannibal,
but the movie
makes nothing of this.
There’s nothing to allude to Boyka’s incarceration, no
fish-out-of-water moments, and
no
acknowledgment that he’s irrevocably set apart from society.
Returning writers David White and Boaz Davidson had an
opportunity to expand the
character in unique ways, but instead
treat
the
movie
as they would any other story about a lone wolf tough-guy. What’s
the point?
Such
uninspired writing is the film’s biggest weakness. It really is but
another bland action yarn that just happens to be
part of
a revered franchise. Boyka does nothing
I didn’t expect of him
(beyond
uncharacteristically giving a darn about someone he’s killed),
and Alon Aboutboul’s villain is almost entirely predictable and
bland. Teodroa Duhovnikova’s
grieving widow is a sexy lamp. Without
spoiling, the movie has Boyka’s story not come
full circle so
much as regressing – essentially keeping him in a place where it’ll
be convenient to add on future installments.
The
film’s strongest aspect is its action content, which – as always
– is
primarily
hand-to-hand fighting. The fact that B:U4
might fail to
live
up to its predecessor isn’t that important, as I’m happy with the
general standard that Adkins & Co. have created.
I enjoyed the juicy role given to genre staple Brahim
Achabbakhe and
appreciate seeing him make an impression both dramatically and
physically. Emilien De Falco is
great as Boyka’s doomed opponent. Andreas Nguyen and fight
choreographer Tim Man steal the show with their two-on-one match.
Disappointingly, these
and almost all other
fighters come across as interchangeable, rarely fighting with
distinguishable styles and even looking very
similar.
Martyn Ford has
a decent couple of matches and is easily the most intimidating Big
Bad of the series, and yet he’s also the most boring for the
complete lack of substance given to his two-scene character. Again,
I like the action content as a whole, but it pales to Adkins’ past
effort in both style and substance.
The
strengths of the fight scenes make it impossible for me to not
recommend the movie at all, but know that they’re the
only thing
it has going for it. I
say the Undisputed
franchise should’ve ended
gracefully
eight years ago, but I also think this unwanted addition had
the potential to
be a lot better. Thus, unless you’re a Scott Adkins completionist
or a major fan of Yuri Boyka, treat this as a rental.
Boyka:
Undisputed 4
(2016)
Directed
by
Todor
Chapkonov (True
Bloodthirst)
Written
by
Boaz Davidson (story), David N. White
Starring
Scott Adkins, Teodora
Duhovnikova (Corpse
Collector),
Alon Aboutboul (The
Dark Knight Rises),
Brahim
Achabbakhe (Dragonwolf)
Cool
costars:
Martyn
Ford (Accident
Man),
Emlien De Falco (Dragonquest),
Andreas Nguyen (Luc
Van Tien),
Tim
Man (Ninja: Shadow
of a Tear),
Trayan Milenov-Troy (Undisputed
2: Last Man Standing),
and
Velizar
Peev (Derailed)
all
play combatants. Bashar Rahal (Direct
Contact)
also appears but doesn’t get in on the action.
Content
warning:
Violence towards women, sexual assault
Copyright
Millennium Films / Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
B-Movie Dragons 