No Surrender Cinema: Undefeatable
How the hell have we gone this long without a review of Undefeatable on this website?
It stars Cynthia Rothrock! It was directed by the infamous Godfrey Ho! The final fight scene was a viral sensation before any of us even knew what that meant, and it currently has over 11 MILLION views on YouTube! I mean, come ON! What have my friends on staff here been doing all of these years?
Fine. If no one else wants to do the dirty work, then I’ll dive in. Let’s right this wrong, and let’s use this edition of No Surrender Cinema to look back at a slice of martial arts cinema so cheesy I’m surprised it wasn’t produced by Kraft. Let’s get Undefeatable.
That last sentence probably didn’t make sense, but that’s ok, because this movie probably won’t either. I mentioned Godfrey Ho up above, and pretty much everything he does is nonsensical, yet he’s still managed to accumulate over 100 directing credits (many under a variety of aliases). The man has been deemed the Ed Wood of kung fu flicks, responsible for hastily put together films with wacky titles like Kickboxer From Hell and Soldier Terminators. So when you see that name (or any of his known pseudonyms) on your screen, you know that you can lower your expectations. The one thing that Undefeatable has going for it right out of the gate is the presence of Rothrock as the main star. Usually Ho’s movies feature a cast of unknowns, so Cynthia’s appearance instantly gives this film a sliver of credibility. We’ll see how long it can keep it’s grip on it.
Rothrock stars as Kristi, the leader of a gang earns their living via illegal fighting. Sure, they might be into some shady stuff, but Kristi has her reasons. You see, they’re not just fighting for a quick cash grab; Kristi hopes to use the profits she earns from pummeling people to send her younger sister off to college. I guess if you’re going to go out and kick some ass, it better be for a noble cause. Did I mention that the character of Kristi was likely intended to be around 25 years old, roughly 10 years younger than Rothrock was at the time of filming? I guess good ol’ Godfrey was inspired to make some 90210 level casting decisions when he put this one together. It’s not a knock on Rothrock, who is always fun to watch and easy on the eyes, but to have her as a rebellious youth might be the biggest case of miscasting this side of that horrible Fantastic Four remake.
Over on the other side of town, a guy named Paul, aka Stingray (Don Niam) is doing what he does best, which is to say he acts like a complete psychopath. He’s also into fighting people for money, but gets a sick pleasure from it. He’s also got mommy issues that would make John Sweet (Matthias Hues’ character in Blackbelt) look like a well-adjusted citizen. Stingray is a sicko who rapes his own wife while dreaming of the opponents he’s hurt and muttering “mommy” to himself. It’s no surprise that Anna, his wife, ups and leaves him ASAP, and the psychotic break that follows (featuring a slow motion shot of Stingray tossing food all over his home) sends him on a killing spree. Stingray starts to target women that remind him of Anna (which is to say pretty much any female wearing a sundress), and before you know it, Kristi’s sister falls victim to Stingray’s deadly delusion and ends up in the morgue.
With the bodies piling up, Detective Nick DiMarco (John Miller) and his partner set out to stop the killer before anyone else can get hurt. DiMarco is also aware that Kristi wants revenge, and is initially reluctant to keep her in the loop, but eventually they join forces to stop Stingray once and for all. There’s a bit of a Tiger Claws vibe here, as they try to determine who the killer could be based on the styles used to kill the male victims. Several more females wind up on the wrong end of Stingray’s wrath, as does a shady fight promoter who discovers a fish tank full of eyeballs that Stingray plucked from each of his victims. When Anna’s psychiatrist, Jennifer Simmons (Donna Jason) becomes Stingray’s hostage, she manages to dissuade him with a bit of psychological warfare, keeping him at bay long enough to get a call to help out to Kristi. Jennifer is saved, but Stingray manages to avoid capture and kills Nick’s partner in the process. So how does the rapist/serial killer/cop killer manage to evade everyone looking for him? By throwing on a mask that would make him feel right at home in Covid times and disguising himself as a doctor so that he can finish what he started with Jennifer! Luckily for her, Nick and Kristi are also at the hospital, and they track Stingray and the shrink to the bowels of the building, where they’ll engage in a battle that has become the stuff of legend.
I’ve seen Undefeatable numerous times over the years, and every time I watch it, I have so many questions. Why does Stingray gouge out the eyes of his victims? Why does he randomly spray paint red lines into his glorious mullet? Why does DiMarco call Kristi “a good kid” when he looks to be the same age as her? Why does Godfrey Ho insist on shooting the most inane things in slow motion? How did Kristi manage to enroll ALL OF HER GANG into college, then find out that DiMarco took it upon himself to enroll her? Why does this film that was released in 1993 look like it’s from 1987? Is every character in this film supposed to be a martial arts expert? How come Kristi and DiMarco bring Jennifer a giant cooler of chicken soup for her recovery? She was kidnapped and assaulted, she doesn’t have a cold! Why am I answering my own questions now? Why do I care so much about a martial arts B movie that most people forgot about until someone made a mockery of the final fight online?
I’ll tell you why; because Undefeatable does have some charm hiding under the bad acting and sleaze. While it’s commonly seen as one of the numerous martial arts films to make their way onto the market in the 90’s, I’ve always looked at it as an exploitation film…a grindhouse gem from an era before they were back en vogue. It’s got the outdated look, a storyline that’ll make you squeamish, a little T&A, and a lot of action. Don Niam’s overacting (or lack of acting chops, take your pick) actually adds to his portrayal as Stingray. With his bug eyed glare and sinister grin, he looks the part. and what he lacks in acting prowess is made up for with the fight choreography. This is a man who knows what he’s doing with his hands and feet. Niam is not just some flunky they stuck in the role of Stingray; the man is a certified kung fu master and skilled with various weapons, and all of those skills are on display in scenes with Rothrock and Miller.
The absurdity of that final fight may be what brought Undefeatable into prominence after all these years, and it’s also a rarity in that it’s a film that Godfrey Ho didn’t make by chopping up several unrelated films and taping them together to make another ninja “masterpiece”. Though he didn’t recycle any footage, he managed to recycle actors from a prior film, because Rothrock, Miller, and Jason had all worked together on Ho’s Honor and Glory a year prior, so they knew what they were getting into…though I’m sure they never expected this film to become as (in)famous as it has thanks to YouTube. Is it Rothrock’s finest hour? Not by a longshot. Is it going to wind up on a “Best of” list anytime soon (sarcastic YouTube video titles aside)? Hell no. Still, where else are you going to get a slow motion shot of packing peanuts falling like snow during a sword fight, or a serial killer having his fate sealed in ironic fashion while being taunted with corny one-liners?
The original US DVD release of Undefeatable is now out of print and copies can cost you a pretty penny, but the film can currently be found streaming on Amazon Prime and YouTube (if you go the YouTube route, be sure to watch the version that runs just over 90 minutes, as there’s a shorter version that omits some of the more violent acts). Whether it’s for a bad movie night or for a quick action fix, one thing is for sure; Undefeatable is unforgettable.
