Sunday 15 March 2009

Is Snipes Serving Time? If So, Is He Undisputed?



Wesley Snipes has made some odd choices recently. Firstly, he decided not to pay millions in taxes. He also has decided in a career in direct to DVD crap rather than pursue indie dramas to remind us of the powerful actor he can be.

It's also a shame the director Walter Hill has faded away in recent years. Perhaps it was sci-fi shite-fest 'Supernova' (where he changed his screen credit to Thomas Lee) that has caused his absence.

So it's great to see Undisputed; a 2002 effort from both parties that sees a return to form for both. Snipes is the undisputed 10 year boxing champion on the inside, at the remote desert facility, Sweetwater Prison. An edgy Ving Rhames is the undisputed worldwide box office champ, imprisoned for rape.

Two things set this apart.
1/ Walter Hill makes Westerns..and so it is with Undisputed. Outlaw from civilization comes to frontiers-town and it's up to the local to drive him out.
2/ Hill isn't just concerned with the 2 boxers and how they view the fight but how the prison and boxing communities relate. Even the big fight is mainly shot from outside the ring; we, the audience, are observers, just like the prisoners and other interested parties.

The film looks good, plays at a pace and Rhames and Snipes are the best I've seen them in yonks. Knockout.

1 comment:

Nick aka Puppet Angel said...

Snipes totally squandered his talent. He's just made The Art of War 2 as a direct to dvd sequel. Because the world really wanted it. The twat!