I am admittedly predisposed to moaning with remorse whenever a new film sponsored by a fighting organization makes its way to JustPressPlay's doorstep. Whether it's on DVD or Blu-ray rarely ever makes a difference, as they're often little more than circle jerks made to capitalize on the built-in audience of fighting fans who will consume anything as long as the scenes of controlled violence are brutal and offer up a few “did you see that?!” moments. For that reason, I rue these films. Unrivaled makes me reconsider that notion or, at the very least, amend it. This film, presented quite well in high-definition, spends as much time building on plot and character as it does in the ring with fists flying.
Ringo Duran (Hector Echavarria) has become known as a perennial loser, a fighter far past his prime. However, it's an undeserved title as the film's opening fight shows that Ringo's honorable approach to his bouts in the cage often make him the victim of fighters intent on taking advantage of a referee's negligence. Our first fight in the film sees Forrest Griffin (in character) smashing the ever-loving life out of Ringo's face with a piece of metal concealed in his fist. Ringo's honesty only compounds his other, arguably more direct obstacle to his fighting success: his left arm was injured long ago making him only half as effective as his competitors. These factors make him the underdog of his circuit – but the underdog that doesn't really ever win. At least not until a few things fall into place.
When his puppy-dog-esque assistant takes a gamble and submits Ringo's name to the pool of contestants vying for a place in the upcoming amateur tournament, Ringo and everyone else never thinks he has a chance (though Ringo doesn't even know he was entered). The “prize” of this tournament is the opportunity to go head-to-head with “The Pressure” the figurehead of the fighting league and the reigning champion. As said, no one thinks Ringo has a chance of being picked – but when he does, his career gets a breath of fresh air. Simultaneously, Ringo's relationship with his strip club-managing girlfriend (who at one point trained to be a nurse) begins to pick up. As a perk of that relationship, she pops his shoulder back into place rendering him a real threat in the competition, a circumstance no one had expected.
Each match in the tournament sees a new sinister obstacle placed before Ringo's success. Both “The Pressure” and Ringo's bookie, to whom he owes $20,000, are pulling for our hero to lose. To achieve this while making some serious bank off a bet, they rig the fights. Or at least they try. The film's overpowering message of fighting with honor and giving your all sees the obstacles overcome or shift as someone involved realizes what they're doing is wrong.
Visually the film pops. The fighting is brilliantly filmed and looks incredibly sharp. The non-fighting scenes don't have as much to recommend them, but there's a degree of creativity to the more action-packed scenes that you just don't expect. The acting and writing of Unrivaled leave a little to be desired. Echavarria isn't awful, but at times he delivers his lines very similarly to Van Damme, with a cardboard stiffness. Rafael, Ringo's trainer, feels like a gruffer Adrian from Rocky, but there's nothing too hackneyed to make you wince, it comes off without a hitch.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The disc is fairly well stocked with extras. Besides the typical audio commentary with director Warren P. Sonoda, there are interviews with starring fighters Keith Jardine (who gives a decent performance), Rashad Evans, Griffin, and Nate Marquardt. The visually jarring chase scene from the film gets a making-of piece and the choreography and basic behind-the-scenes happenings also get featurettes.
Unrivaled is a surprisingly good entry in the mixed martial arts film catalogue, so if you enjoy the genre it's a great choice for you.
"Unrivaled" is on sale March 16, 2010 and is rated R. Action, Martial-Arts. Directed by Warren P Sonoda. Written by Brad Bode, Hector Echavarria. Starring Hector Echavarria, Keith Jardine, Rashad Evans, Steven Yaffee, Nicholas Campbell, Forrest Griffin.
