The movie begins by introducing its principal underdogs: Chin Fai (Cheung), a washed-up boxer with a prodigious debt on his hands; Siqi (Peng) a carefree young man whose tycoon father (Kao) has gone bankrupt overnight; and Gwen (Mei Ting), a single mom whose mind becomes unbalanced by a tragic family accident.
Fai ends up sub-letting a room in Gwen`s ramshackle home, and gradually bonds with Gwen`s feisty daughter Dani (Crystal Lee). Fai also begins work at a Martial Arts gym, where he teaches middle-aged ladies boxercise. This uninspiring prospect soon changes when Siqi enrolls in the gym, and persuades the grizzled ex-champ to coach him for a world famous MMA championship.
Unbeatable may centre on Mixed Martial Arts(MMA)-inspired tussling, but the drama drives the fighting in this movie, rather than playing second fiddle to it. In that sense, it shares more in common with emotional scrapper flicks like Warrior and The Fighter than your average beat-`em-up.
While Unbeatable`s narrative occasionally sags due to its number of plot lines, director Dante Lam manages to suffuse the proceedings with enough warmth and humour to make the characters` desperate circumstances emotionally engaging. None of the principal players is neglected in terms of backstory, but ultimately, it`s Cheung`s character that takes front and centre in in the film, and sees the greatest amount of growth.
The coach-trainee relationship between Siqi and Fai is humourously touching, and the machismo of MMA culture is cheekily referenced when the two men accidentally kiss while engaging in sprawl-and-brawl training. Lee is a feisty, impish joy to watch, and the film even manages to use Simon & Garfunkel`s The Sound of Silence as a resonant auditory motif without seeming overly sentimental.
In terms of action, the fight scenes are meaty and savagely choreographed, if occasionally claustrophobic. Action director Ling Chi-Wah`s attention to fight strategy and the realistic combat readiness of its primary fighters a washed-up boxer and an inexperienced rookie is immensely gratifying.
Unbeatable has several flaws, but also a big enough heart for us to perceive them as mere quibbles. It didn`t impress us with its finesse, but it certainly won us over with its sheer amount of heart.
Summary: Dante Lam by TKO!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Raphael Lim