Undefeated

Director: John Leguizamo John Leguizamo

Overview

Lex Vargas (John Leguizamo, who also directed the film) is a promising young boxer living in Jackson Heights, Queens. He works at the family bodega for his older brother, Paulie (David Zayas), but he and his best friend and manager, Loco (Clifton Collins Jr. of The Rules of Attraction), dream of getting out of the neighborhood. Lex wins a PAL championship, and things are looking up, when Paulie is shot by a robber. After Loco convinces him to go on, Lex manages to convince an experienced local trainer, Victor (Nestor Serrano, who starred with Leguizamo in Hangin' with the Homeboys and Empire), to work with him. Before long, Lex has the full attention of Mack (Omar Benson Miller), a shady music promoter who's looking to go into boxing management. Through Mack, he meets Lizette (Vanessa Ferlito), an aspiring singer whose interest in Lex seems tied to his financial fortunes. Before long, Lex finds himself in conflict with Loco and his old friends from the neighborhood, who don't fit in with his lavish new lifestyle. Mack introduces Lex to Seth Green (Robert Forster), a powerful promoter. Before long, Green has Lex fighting for the welterweight title, but the boxer still finds himself torn between his old loyalties and his desire to rise to the top. Undefeated was Leguizamo's directorial debut, and he also worked on the story with screenwriter Frank Pugliese. The film was produced for HBO, and features appearances by HBO boxing commentators Larry Merchant and Jim Lampley.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/15/2013
UPC:	0883316799901
Original Release:	2003
Rating:	NR
Source:	Hbo Archives
Language:	English
Time:	1:30:00
Sales rank:	56,604

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Leguizamo	Lex Vargas
Clifton Collins Jr.	Loco
Vanessa Ferlito	Lizette Sanchez
Omar Benson Miller	Mack
Juan Carlos Hernandez	Franky
Adrian Martinez	Chewy
Robert Montano	Resto
David Zayas	Paulie
Nestor Serrano	Victor
Guillermo Diaz	Mommy
Robert Forster	Scott Green
Michael Olajide	Melvin Jones
Kamar De Los Reyes	Beveaqua

Technical Credits

John Leguizamo

Frank Pugliese

John Leguizamo	Director,Screenwriter,Executive Producer
Frank Pugliese	Screenwriter
Scott Macaulay	Producer
Robin O'Hara	Producer
Enrique Chediak	Executive Producer
Kathy DeMarco	Executive Producer
John Hart	Executive Producer
Robert Kessel	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

Undefeated is a serviceable boxing melodrama, but it's a disappointing first directorial effort from actor John Leguizamo. Leguizamo is known for his edgy one-man shows and vibrant film performances, but his first feature is depressingly predictable and run-of-the-mill. The performances are generally fine, as might be expected from a director-turned-actor. Underseen pros like Clifton Collins, Jr. and David Zayas fare well. Leguizamo himself is a bit too old to be playing a boxer getting his first big break, but he's in good shape for the role. The fight scenes aren't particularly flashy, but they're passably believable. And the filmmakers obviously have a feel for the working-class Queens neighborhood in which much of the film is set. But you can hear the gears turning on the hackneyed plot as it creaks along. It bears a marked similarity to an undistinguished film Leguizamo starred in just a few films before this one, Empire, in its depiction of the dangers of a successful man forgetting where he comes from and abandoning his friends in his pursuit of fame and fortune. But it's a pretty old and predictable story, in any case, and Leguizamo doesn't take enough chances or go into enough detail to bring these characters into focus. The abrupt ending to the film is mildly interesting on its face, but the path the main character will take (telegraphed by an overuse of flashback voice-overs) is so well-established at that point that the ending doesn't really challenge the audience. It's symptomatic of a film in which all the grit is on the surface.

All Movie Guide - Josh Ralske