When Artem Kolchin, Denis Nikiforov, arrives in the U.S. to fight for the championship, he soon finds himself fighting for his life after he sends a young, aggressive boxer, who provokes him into sparring, into a coma and ultimately killing him. That is when Artem finds out that the young boxer was none other than the only son of Felix Mendez, the powerful Mexican mafia kingpin, played masterfully by Victor Herminio Lopez, and when the real fight begins.
Acting
Victor Herminio Lopez's quietly terrifying cartel patriarch
Production
Grimy Y2K-era Moscow-to-America aesthetic
Stunts
Brutal, unsanctioned fight choreography
Director
Anton Megerdichev
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This 2007 Russian production rode the post-Boomer wave of gritty crime dramas, but flopped hard—hence that brutal 5.1 rating and 34 votes. It's basically unknown even in cult circles.
Denis Nikiforov was an actual amateur boxer before acting, which explains why he looks convincingly exhausted rather than pretty during fight scenes.
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