Undisputed (2002)

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers (WGA):

David Giler (written by) &
Walter Hill (written by)

Release Date:

23 August 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Two Enemies ... The Mob ... The Ultimate Showdown.

Plot:

When heavyweight champion George 'Iceman' Chambers lands in prison, the resident gangster arranges a boxing match with the reigning prison champ.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Heavyweight Champion | Boxing | Fight | Iceman

Awards:

1 nomination

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
Master P	...	Gat Boyz Rapper 1
Silkk Tha Shocker	...	Gat Boyz Rapper 2 (as Silkk the Shocker)
C-Murder	...	Gat Boyz Rapper 3
Boz	...	Gat Boyz Rapper 4
Nicholas Cascone	...	Barry Pearl
Bruce A. Young	...	Charles Soward
Byron Minns	...	Saladin / Eddie Jones
Taylor Young	...	Emily Byrne
Susan Dalian	...	Jonelle
Johnathan Wesley Wallace	...	Antoine Bonét
J.W. Smith	...	Mess Guard
John David Jackson	...	Man
Michael Bailey Smith	...	Skinhead
Peter Jason	...	Oakland TV Announcer
Steve Heinze	...	Carlos
Ken Medlock	...	Guard 1
George Grigas	...	Tower Guard 1
Christopher Wynne	...	Central Security Guard (as Chris Wynne)
George Christy	...	Reporter 1
James Alan Hensz	...	Reporter 2 (as Jim Hensz)
John D. Harrington	...	Reporter 3
Toby Gibson	...	Referee
Daren Libonatt	...	Ref
Rose Rollins	...	Tawnee Rawlins
Maureen O'Boyle	...	Herself
Elaine Kagan	...	Lady Judge
Sandra Vidal	...	Fight Fan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Derek Sean Carlton	...	Prison Guard (uncredited)
Johann Heisey	...	Skinhead (uncredited)
Heidi Jo Markel	...	Reporter #4 (uncredited)
Andrei Mignea	...	Inmate (uncredited)
George Miklos	...	Prison Guard (uncredited)
Alexander Nevsky	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Bruce Pobanz	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Reggi Danielle Sweat	...	Reporter's assistant (uncredited)
Michael A. Tessiero	...	Reporter #2 (uncredited)

Directed by
Walter Hill

Writing credits (WGA)
David Giler		(written by) &
Walter Hill		(written by)

Produced by
Boaz Davidson	....	executive producer
Danny Dimbort	....	executive producer
Michael P. Flannigan	....	line producer: additional photography
Jason E. Frankel	....	co-executive producer
David Giler	....	producer
Anthony Hartman	....	associate producer
Walter Hill	....	producer
Brad Krevoy	....	producer
Avi Lerner	....	executive producer
Sandra Schulberg	....	executive producer
Trevor Short	....	executive producer
Wesley Snipes	....	executive producer
Andrew Sugerman	....	producer
John Thompson	....	executive producer
Rudolf G. Wiesmeier	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Stanley Clarke

Cinematography by
Lloyd Ahern II

Film Editing by
Freeman A. Davies
Phil Norden

Casting by
Reuben Cannon

Production Design by
Maria Caso		(as Maria Rebman Caso)

Art Direction by
Michael D. Costello

Set Decoration by
Alice Baker
Jeremy Settles

Costume Design by
Barbara Inglehart

Makeup Department
Kelly Belmont	....	assistant makeup artist
Clifford Booker	....	hair stylist: Wesley Snipes (as Cliff Booker)
Doug Cress	....	key makeup artist
Camille Friend	....	special makeup effects artist
Cheryl Ann Nick	....	makeup department head (as Cheryl Nick)
Wynona Price	....	makeup artist: Mr. Rhames
Cyndi Reece-Thorne	....	makeup artist: Mr. Snipes
Brian A. Tunstall	....	hair department head

Production Management
Dave Duce	....	assistant unit manager
Robert Hackl	....	post-production supervisor
Pearl A. Lucero	....	production supervisor
Andrew Sugerman	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Craig Amendola	....	dga trainee
Melissa V. Barnes	....	second assistant director
Dave Halls	....	second assistant director
Anthony Hartman	....	second unit director
James Alan Hensz	....	first assistant director
Kenneth Roth	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Tonya Brewer Hunt	....	props
Maria Doicheva	....	painter
Jonathan R. Hodges	....	property master
Edmond Scott Ratliff	....	assistant property master
Cynthia C. Rebman	....	on-set dresser
Kelleigh Reese	....	set production assistant
Jeremy Settles	....	set dresser
Sarah Sprawls	....	art department assistant
Chris Tappy	....	props
Cheree Welsh	....	art department coordinator

Sound Department
Erik Aadahl	....	sound effects editor
Ulrika Akander	....	dialogue editor
James Ashwill	....	foley mixer
Dicken Berglund	....	adr mixer
Richard Burton	....	sound effects editor
Steven Gerrior	....	first assistant sound editor
Jacob Goldstein	....	sound recordist
Samuel Lehmer	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steven Morrow	....	sound mixer: Los Angeles
Bob Newlan	....	adr supervisor
Todd Niesen	....	adr editor
Jeffrey Perkins	....	sound re-recording mixer
Brian Robinson	....	boom operator
Buck Robinson	....	utility sound
Christopher Sidor	....	sound recordist
Jay Wilkinson	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
David J. Barker	....	special effects
Josh Hakian	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
James Coulter	....	digital artist: Digital Dimension
Jason Crosby	....	digital artist: Digital Dimension
Benoit Girard	....	visual effects supervisor: Digital Dimension
Jerome Morin	....	visual effects producer: Digital Dimension
Leandro Visconti	....	compositor: Digital Dimension (uncredited)

Stunts
Greg Anderson	....	stunts
Eric Chambers	....	stunts
Brennan Dyson	....	stunts
Clay Donahue Fontenot	....	stunt double: Wesley Snipes
Steve Hart	....	utility stunts
Cole S. McKay	....	stunt coordinator
Alexander Nevsky	....	stunts
Marcus Salgado	....	stunt performer
Jeff Sanders	....	stunts
Bryon Weiss	....	stunts
Johnnyangel	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carl Milinac	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ron Batzdorff	....	still photographer
Carl Boles	....	gaffer
Mike Bonnaud	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Michael Cassidy	....	camera operator: second unit
Scott Crabbe	....	video operator
Donald D. Davidson	....	electrician
Don Domino	....	grip
Mark Figueroa	....	first assistant camera
Jeff Griffith	....	second assistant camera
Mark La Bonge	....	a cam/steadicam operator: Camera Operator ("a" camera )
Luis Moreno	....	electrician
Andrew Osborne	....	assistant camera
Paul V. Perkins	....	dolly grip
Paul V. Perkins	....	key grip
Michael J. Schwartz	....	electrician
Mark Strasburg	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Greg Barrera	....	electrician (uncredited)

Casting Department
Chris Gray	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Craig Anthony	....	costumer: Mr. Snipes
Lola Bullion Chambers	....	costume supervisor
Michael A. Russell	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Todd Gilbert	....	post-production executive
Mike Mertens	....	color timer
Sam Vanny	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Ron Finn	....	music editor
David Schulhof	....	music supervisor
TQ	....	composer: song "Think About You"
Ashley Waldron	....	music clearance (as Ashley Miller)

Transportation Department
Gil Amaral	....	transportation captain: Nevada
Tony Barattini	....	driver
Glenn Knowlton	....	transportation coordinator
Jimmy Ray Pickens	....	driver
Marti Wells	....	driver

Other crew
Lucio Amadio	....	assistant to cast
Jennifer Berthelot	....	office production assistant
Finley Bolton	....	assistant: Mr. Rooker
Donald Bruce	....	production controller
Matthew Cassel	....	assistant location manager
Angie Lee Cobbs	....	assistant production coordinator
Lori Davis	....	assistant: Mr. Snipes
Craig Dyer	....	helicopter pilot
Ryan Ebelt	....	production assistant
Stuart Fink	....	unit publicist
Eric Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Christopher J. Ford	....	assistant: Mr. Rhames
David A. Foster	....	location manager
Kimberly P. Harmon	....	first assistant accountant
Anthony Hartman	....	assistant: Mr. Giler and Mr. Hill
Eien Hyett	....	title designer: main titles
Kirk Iverson	....	production assistant
Ty Granderson Jones	....	adr loop group
Grant Kaufman	....	payroll accountant
Rebecca Knowlton	....	production accountant
David Lear	....	production assistant
Cole S. McKay	....	fight choreographer
Meaghan F. McLaughlin	....	set production assistant
Kelleigh Reese	....	set production assistant
Danielle Robertson	....	assistant: Mr. Sugerman
Tricia Ronten	....	script supervisor
Karen R. Sachs	....	production coordinator
David Sitzman	....	contracts administrator
Patrick J. Smith	....	set production assistant
Brian Youmans	....	set production assistant
Britta Ziegert	....	financial controller

Production Companies

• Amen Ra Films
• Hollywood Partners
• Millennium Films
• Miramax Films
• Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA)
• Undisputed Productions

Distributors

• Nu Image Films (2002-) (worldwide) (all media)
• Art Port (2003) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Lantìa (2002) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (2002) (USA) (theatrical)
• Sociedad General de Derechos Audiovisuales (SOGEDASA) (2002) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Steward (2002) (France) (theatrical)
• TVA Films (2002) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Bridge Entertainment Group (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2006) (UK) (TV) (BBC1)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2002) (Germany) (VHS)
• Divisa Home Video (2012) (Spain) (DVD)
• Eagle Films (2002) (non-USA) (all media) (Middle East)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2004) (Argentina) (VHS)
• RTL Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (RTL7)
• Reel DVD (2012) (Australia) (DVD)
• Splendid Film (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
• TVA Films (2002) (Canada) (DVD)
• TVA Films (2002) (Canada) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Digital Dimension

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Joan Pearce Research Associates  clearances
• Leonetti Company  production equipment

Also Known As:

"Dead Lock" - Japan (English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language

Runtime:

Spain:96 min | USA:94 min | Argentina:96 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | France:U | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:16 | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Iceland:12 | Australia:MA15+

Filming Locations:

High Desert State Prison - 22010 Cold Creek Road, Indian Springs, Nevada, USA

Company:

Amen Ra Films

Trivia:

Snipes worked out with boxing trainer Emanuel Steward to prepare for his role in the film. Steward is in the International Boxing Hall of Fame for training boxers like Thomas Hearns and Lennox Lewis.

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.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Today You Die (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

I Walk It

Two incarcerated boxers go head to head but it's the movie that's K.O.'d!!

Wesley Snipes stars as the boxing champ of Sweetwater Prison whose title and manhood are put at jeopardy when the true heavyweight champion (played by Ving Rhames) lands in the cellblock for the rape of a showgirl (Rose Rollins).

I enjoyed UNDISPUTED for the first thirty minutes or so but after that I became lost. I was looking for deeper character development than I ever got. We get to know Ving Rhames character the most (mainly because he's a replica of Mike Tyson) and he's the antagonist. We get introduced to several supporting characters (Wes Studi, Fisher Stevens, Peter Falk, Michael Rooker, Jon Seda) here and there for whatever reason. However, they're all a prison cliché.

The character we never get to know, oddly, is the hero, played by Wesley Snipes. We can only assume that Snipes is the hero because of his sensitive hobby of making houses out of toothpicks. Other than that, Snipes has only about twenty lines. It's weird. Rhames even though billed second has far more screen time than 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 (ALIEN), or any writers for that matter, writing a script with such a non-dimensional lead character.

While action film veteran Walter Hill (48 HOURS; LAST MAN STANDING) 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. (C-)