Undisputed (2002)

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

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

David Giler, Walter Hill

Stars:

Wesley Snipes, Ving Rhames, Peter Falk

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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	...	Jim Lampley
Ed Lover	...	Marvin Bonds

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.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | heavyweight champion | boxing match | fighting movie | fistfight | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA Germany Japan

Language:

English German

Release Date:

23 August 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Iceman

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,548,750, 25 August 2002

Gross USA:

$12,764,657

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,946,150

Company Credits

Production Co:

A Band Apart, RadicalMedia, Amen Ra Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the singing of the "National Anthem", someone yells "Oorah!"

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Goofs

The movie stated that Sweetwater Prison is a Level 5 facility. California prisons do not have level 5 facilities. The classification level of every prison in California goes from Level 1 through Level 4. Level 1 is minimum and level 4 is maximum security. Examples of Level 4 facilities include Pelican Bay State Prison and High Desert State Prison.

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Quotes

Mendy Ripstein: [after getting to know the fight has been cancelled] Jesus fuckin' Christ! This fuckin' state. Who the fuck does this fuckin' warden... fuckin' think he is? Doesn't anybody know how to do business in this fuckin' state? My fuckin' wife and her fuckin' asthma and allergies. We had to move to the fuckin' desert. Goddamn fuckin' chickenshit doctors... I should've known better than listen to those shitheels. Fuckin' Palm Springs... Lay there in the fuckin' sun and do nothin'. Then this fuckin' state...

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Crazy Credits

The movie title is repeatedly shown in the opening scenes, but no producers, directors, writers, actors, etc are named.

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Connections

Edited into Today You Die (2005)

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Soundtracks

The United States National Anthem
Performed by Master P
Courtesy of No Limit Records

User Reviews

A sharp and hard-hitting boxing drama.

Seems like an eternity since director Walter Hill ("48 HRS.", "Streets of Fire", "Southern Comfort") made a really good movie and his latest offering "Undisputed" shows that Hill still has the skill to create a clever movie.

"Undisputed" is the second movie about boxing that Hill has done, the first being his feature debut "Hard Times" that starred Charles Bronson and the late James Coburn in the mid-seventies.

The tale takes place at an isolated Arizona maximum security prison where a former heavyweight boxing champ (Rhames) is sent to serve a sentence for rape meets a counterpart (Snipes) who is an undefeated champ in the prison ranks and the opportunity to have the two fighters face each other in a bout arranged by a former mobster (Peter Falk) who still has mob connections outside the prison and a devoted fan of the sport.

And the result is a sharp and hard-hitting boxing drama with the fight being the center piece. Snipes and Rhames are terrific here and the supporting performances are just as good especially Michael Rooker, Wes Studi, and Falk, too.

"Undisputed" may not top "Rocky" or "Raging Bull" in being the best movie about the sport, but it deserves some mention.