REDEMPTION is the third of the UNDISPUTED franchise and a straight-to-video martial arts flick that excels at what it does. The trend is to offer more of the same as we saw before, but there's more action than ever, more heart, and more arena fighting. The genius move is to have Scott Adkins return as Boyka, not as the villain (although he's as tough as ever), but as the hero this time around. The story follows through the usual prison elements: male bonding, punishment, escape, and plenty more besides, but the emphasis is always on the fighting in the ring. In the hands of experienced director Isaac Florentine the fight scenes are crisp and fluid, with near-impossible physicality and brutal moves captured in loving detail. Adkins is excellent, of course, as is an ultra-slimy Marko Zaror as the chief bad guy and other genre personalities including Lateef Crowder, Vernon Dobtcheff, and good old Robert Costanzo (the traffic cop from DIE HARD 2!). It's certainly the best of the series yet, and it leaves me looking forward to checking out part four.
Review of Undisputed 3: Redemption
