Boyka: Undisputed IV

Isaac Florentine, who directed the second and third films, did not direct this one, staying on as producer. The job went to Todor Chapkanov, fresh from second unit on Nu Image’s London Has Fallen; that film’s lead villain, Alon Moni Aboutboul, moved across as Zourab. Fight choreography changed hands again: J.J. Perry on the second film, Larnell Stovall on the third, now Tim Man, who had worked with Adkins on Ninja: Shadow of a Tear and appears in the ring as an Ozerov brother. Shooting ran at Nu Boyana in Bulgaria from 29 June to 31 July 2015, the cut done that November. Even so it only played Fantastic Fest in Austin in September 2016, reaching America on disc in August 2017. Scott Adkins won a best action actor prize on 22 June 2017 at Jackie Chan Action Movie Week, part of the Shanghai International Film Festival. This was Martyn Ford’s first feature; his character Koshmar is Russian for nightmare, which became his real nickname after release. A good fit if you want a run of bouts whose reason is built outside the ring, Boyka fighting to clear a dead opponent’s widow of her debt, not for a title. Not for viewers expecting a plot beyond the opponents Zourab sends out one by one; the story’s job is joining matches.