Undisputed III

 Ephraim Belnap 

Honestly, not that good, at least compared to others in this genre. I can think of others of its budget and talent level that are quite better. BUT at the same time, I can see why it's nonetheless been pretty popular. 

For one, it really does capture the feel of being international, of representing each different country and place, without feeling phony or over-representing or overdoing it. I can see people from every country represented seeing this film and really liking it. It chooses to be simple in its representation where a LOT of films - even popular films - would choose to overdo it or not do it at all, and that creates a sense of real confidence and of a pre-existing world. I have been to DVD stores all over the Middle East and Europe, and I can see this playing in the background in a lot of them without much objection. 

Similarly, I can definitely see how the Boyka character could resonate. Like I talked about in my Braveheart review, the primal warrior who nonetheless is full of rich feeling and belief is maybe one of the oldest and most appealing tropes out there. Every guy from the start of mankind has had deep feelings he wasn't sure how to express, and someone who embodies that onscreen is really very appealing. You get the sense that Boyka is religious, has real principles, has righteousness, but doesn't have a way to let it out except via fighting. But it works out for him! Great to see! And you couple that alongside a few other things the film does right - no gratuitous sex scenes, less-than-usual-but-still-present amounts of swearing, and that genuine humility in its presentation, and I can see how this would do good numbers on DVD, enough to warrant another sequel, and stand as one of Scott Adkins' biggest roles.