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.