Never Back Down (2008)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Jeff Wadlow

Writer (WGA):

Chris Hauty (written by)

Release Date:

14 March 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Win or Lose... Everyone Has Their Fight

Plot:

At his new high school, a rebellious teen is lured into an underground fight club, where he finds a mentor in a mixed martial arts veteran.

Plot Keywords:

Fight | Teen | Club | High School | Mixed Martial Arts

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Sean Faris	...	Jake Tyler
Amber Heard	...	Baja Miller
Cam Gigandet	...	Ryan McCarthy
Evan Peters	...	Max Cooperman
Leslie Hope	...	Margot Tyler
Djimon Hounsou	...	Jean Roqua
Wyatt Smith	...	Charlie Tyler
Affion Crockett	...	Beatdown DJ
Neil Brown Jr.	...	Aaron
Lauren Leech	...	Jenny
Tilky Jones	...	Eric
Steven Crowley	...	Ben
Tom Nowicki	...	Mr. Lloyd
David Zelon	...	Ryan's Dad
Chris Lindsay	...	Beat Down Referee

Also Known As:

Get Some (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving intense sequences of fighting/violence, some sexuality, partying and language - all involving teens.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44164) | Ireland:15A | South Korea:12 | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:PG (edited version) | Norway:15 | Netherlands:12 | Germany:18 | Finland:K-15 | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (theatrical rating)

Filming Locations:

Clermont, Florida, USA

Company:

Summit Entertainment

Trivia:

Sean Faris gained 15 lbs. of muscle for his role.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the party at Ryan's house, Max exclaims that "Force times mass equals acceleration!" when the actual physics equation is: Mass times acceleration equals force.

Quotes:

Jake Tyler: [stopping in front of sports car] Is this your car?
Max Cooperman: No.
[he kisses roof]
Max Cooperman: It's my baby

Movie Connections:

References Mad Max (1979)

Soundtrack:

Orange Marmalade

Save the Last Fight

I'd sum this movie up as Save the Last Dance meets Fight Club, without any of the redeeming values of Fight Club.

I saw it at a free screening and if you have a chance to do the same or catch it on cable one day, it's probably at least worth watching. I'd be pretty upset if I actually spent $11-12 on a ticket, though.

As a mixed martial arts fan, I think this film (if it's successful at the box office) could probably help set the UFC and other organizations back a couple of years in their emerging mainstream acceptance. It basically makes MMA look like a bunch of rich kids having underground, unsanctioned fights at parties. The fights are filled with illegal strikes to the back of the head and soccer kicks and stomps that are legal in Japan, but not in the US and come off as particularly brutal and bloody in the film. When there are rules at the underground tournament finale, they're virtually the same as UFC 1 (no biting, no eye gouging, no groin strikes).

Think Kimbo Slice Youtube videos, but with a couple of dudes who look like younger versions of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. And drive Hummers.

In a way, the whole fighting/revenge plot that thrusts the main character unwillingly into the final showdown could probably be seen as just, almost like Better Off Dead with a fighting showdown instead of skiing. But the film tries repeatedly to market itself as MMA when it's really street brawling with a few arm bars and triangles (and 4 oz gloves... sometimes).

I won't get into the story because it's fairly cliché teen movie fare, so there isn't much to get into there anyway. Like I said, if it's free, it's not too long and there is some decent action so might as well. Otherwise, you'll probably want some money back.