Never Back Down [Blu-ray] - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
If you get caught up in the sweaty fight scenes in Never Back Down--and, despite the formulaic plot, you very likely will--it will be due to the sheer kinetic pleasure of muscular bodies in motion. Jake (Tom Cruise look-alike Sean Faris, Yours, Mine, and Ours), full of anger after his father's death, starts to find a place for himself at his new Florida high school--until Ryan, the head of an underground mixed-martial arts (Cam Gigandet, The O.C.), picks Jake out as a prime opponent. After being trounced by Ryan in front of everyone in school, Jake begins training under the firm, moral guidance of a martial arts master with a hidden past (Djimon Hounsou, a long way from Blood Diamond, but still bringing his essential gravitas to the screen). Basically, Never Back Down boils down to a cross between The Karate Kid and Fight Club, minus the sociopolitical commentary. The story and characters are a bundle of featherweight cliches, but that won't stop the aggressively edited fight sequences from stoking a viewer's adrenaline. Also starring Amber Heard (All the Boys Love Mandy Lane) as the very blonde love interest, who (along with an abundance of girls in bikinis--'cause, y'know, it's Florida) is there to assure everyone that these handsome, chiseled boys are strictly heterosexual. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (summit) Release Date: 07/29/2008

Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Never Back Down was much better than I expected it to be! March 17, 2008
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

I just got back from seeing Never Back Down and I have to say this movie was awesome! I really was not expecting much and figured this would be a Fight Club rip off. After watching it it was nothing like I expected and I ended up being really entertained and got in to the whole story. Sean Faris plays Jake Tyler a high school football player, who is dealing with the guilt of his fathers death. When his mom moves the family to Orlando Jakes fighting and angry past follow him. He meets a girl named Baja who is being used by her boyfriend Ryan to get Jake to fight him. Baja lures Jake to a party only to have Ryan beat him up pretty badly. After being humiliated Jake takes his friend Max's advice to learn a mixed-martial from a man named Jean Roqua. He will not only learn valuable lessons and discipline to deal with his angry past, but also to settle a score and define himself. In the tradition of Fight Club, The Peaceful Warrior and a bit of inspiration from The Fast and The Furious movies Never Back Down is one action packed rush!

4 out of 5 stars

3 Stars: Mixed Martial Arts Collides with Teenage Issues August 1, 2008
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

NEVER BACK DOWN is a teen-action-martial arts drama that has all the ingredients to entertain a VERY specific audience. The film isn't going to win awards for its story, but then again, what martial arts film ever had? The film has a very formulaic and routine storyline but what caught my notice are its action sequences. Please note that this is a review of the film's "Beat Down" edition that supposedly contains more punches and kicks, more blood and graphic violence.

A young man with an ill temper named Jake Tyler (Sean Faris) has been trying to keep his life together with his mother and younger brother after his father`s death. They move to another town from Iowa so his brother can pursue a tennis scholarship. Once in school, he gets baited by a pretty girl, Baja (Amber Heard), to a party that ended up with Jake getting his head kicked in by the resident "Beat Down" champ Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet). Frustrated, Jake enlists Max's (Evan Peters) aid to introduce him to a master of mixed martial arts named Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou) with revenge on his mind. After training for sometime in the Dojo, Jake realizes more things about family, discipline and friendship; and more importantly controlling his anger. Jake isn't interested in fighting anymore. However, now that he's been training under Roqua, McCarthy is even more eager to fight Jake...

The film has all the elements we can relate to; family issues, bullying at school, forgiving oneself and atonement. At first impression, I thought it was just going to be a bad rethread of "The Karate Kid" with just more action and violence. Well, it actually is a rehash if you think about it in regards to its plot but the film is quite entertaining. The film actually explores the issues that often plague martial artists themselves and explores the relationship between Sensei and apprentice. Jake and Jean developed a common denominator to each other which is their failings in their family. McCarthy is a martial artist without discipline and as a result becomes a brash, arrogant fighter.

The direction by Jeff Wadlow knew what his goals were; and that is to provide popcorn entertainment. While the film does have a very unoriginal premise and frankly, those elements have almost been done to death; Wadlow manages to keep things small but focused. The pacing is quite competent enough to keep the viewer interested and never becomes too ambitious or pretentious by adding excess "fat" to the film's simple plot. There are some morality issues and quite a lot of preaching about the necessities of forgiving oneself. What helps the film along is that the relationship between Roqua and Jake were convincing enough and I was happy it took center stage rather than the sappy blossoming "teen love" between Jake and Baja. Just when does a Sensei know when his student has become the best he can be? When the sensei begins learning from his apprentice.

Now the film's main draw would have to be its fight sequences. For a Hollywood flick, I thought it was decently executed. Of course, the fights can never compare to the fight sequences choreographed by the legendary Yuen Woo-Ping or the best of Corey Yuen; but for the most part it was smooth enough to generate some intensity and pain in the proceedings. There is quite a bit of graphic violence in this dvd edition that stays within the realm of mixed martial arts. I credit the director that the managed to keep the scenes that make Faris and Gigandet look good and edit out the scenes that make them look bad. The fights were decent, and I thought the encounters were hard-hitting enough for what its worth. Just don't expect the fights to be in the same caliber as Asia's best martial arts action sequences.

Now, the film does have its share of problems. The performance by the supporting cast does seem a little too "wooden" at times. Max provides some of the film's 'comic relief' but you can see from miles away that he was a simple plot device to set up the film's final climax. Amber Heard who plays Baja is pretty, sexy and attractive but I think she had so little to work with, so I can't really criticize her acting that much. Well, she acted like a girl star-struck by the new boy in town and she does do that. Jake's Mom and little brother had limited screen time but they gave Jake more character development than what was provided by visuals alone.

Overall, I thought "Never Back Down" is an entertaining enough experience. It does play its cards well enough and it stayed focused on its main premise. Sure, its premise is pretty simple and very unoriginal; the stereotypical love triangle definitely got in the way but I guess there has to be something for everyone. Consider it a "Karate Kid" remake that focuses more on its action sequences rather than the drama. The film is pretty routine but it is a worthwhile watch for action junkies with its abundance of kicks and punches to satisfy that "fix".

Recommended for action junkies and a good rental for everybody else. [3 Stars]

5 out of 5 stars

What a True Testosterone Delight! March 27, 2008
4 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is one of the most masculine-positive films I have ever seen in my entire life! Sure there's a lot of sweat and hot muscle everywhere you look! But that takes a big back seat to genuine character development - with the primary focus being on the muscle on the left side of your chest (Your Heart)! What an incredibly intelligent story! If only Hollywood could have the courage to do this more often - A "Fight Club" type movie with zero, I repeat, zero exploitation or gore! This rare, one-of-kind movie is even suitable for older children to watch! It is so sophisticated, in fact, I would even recommend it as an excellent resource for Anger Management classes!

The fight choreography is mind boggling! It certainly looks like full contact! If you watch closely you could even learn some very good moves!

It also made me reflect on my own High School experience! Where there were certainly a lot of aggressive and vicious bad guys, but very few good guys to stand-up to them. It amazes me to this very day how some teenage boys develop powerful, man-like bodies at an early age, but have the emotional maturity of a turnip! Is this a universal in American society? All this aggressiveness and malevolence to those physically weaker than one's self? Where does it come from? Is it some sort of malfunctioning biological drive? Or learned at home from an abusive parent? If only we could find the right physical trainer as our hero did! Wow! It could move mountains for so many people who are constantly bullied by their fellow, physically stronger classmates!

Never Back Down is neither maudlin or trite! It discusses real issues we all will face at some point in our life - like making a big mistake, relocating to a different community, falling in love, defending one's self from physical or emotional harm, dealing with the loss of a loved one, submitting to someone wiser than yourself, and learning to manage anger, regret and grief! This, and a lot more, is covered in this delightful, sheer joy of a film!

2 out of 5 stars

Kickboxing: "All the Rage" September 16, 2008
4 out of 9 found this review helpful

Seldom do students get more excited than when a fight breaks out at school. Add to that the list of extreme sports and, especially, the addition of kickboxing to mainstream audiences, and you've got a sure-fire way to capture and keep the shortest attention spans for a movie.

It is on this premise that I felt an inclination to dock 'Never Back Down'. The sense of pervasive violence with a sport I don't particularly like led to this belief, but I don't like to do that. A movie should be judged by its cinematic merits rather than its subject matter. Don't get me wrong; I like contact sports. It's just that I enjoy the finesse of hockey, football, and boxing far better. Throw in the kicking element, and I honestly thought this movie a was bloodthirsty medium for voyeuristic violence.

I decided to back up and look at the merits and demerits of the feature and let others' decide if they like the venue. As a film, the kickboxing seems just about the only new thing going for it. There's Jake Tyler (Sean Faris), the protagonist, a kid who moves from Iowa to Orlando. (One kid calls him "Kurt Cobain" for his inclination to wear flannel in Florida.) As the new kid in town, he faces a kickboxing bully, Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet) who enjoys testing any newcomers setting foot on his turf. Between both figures is Ryan's girlfriend, Baja Miller (Amber Heard) who has the good sense to dislike her boyfriend's sadistic past time.

Ryan has a hard time leaving his baggage behind him. His father recently passed away, and we get some fuzzy flashbacks about an accident we learn more about later on. His mother (Leslie Hope) is severe with him, but it's not hard to understand why with her son's frequent brawls out on the football field. Because of the pervasiveness of "You Tube," his past feisty football seasons are soon scrutinized by a new student body.

Neatly, an infatuated Baja invites him to the same party that Ryan attends. All bikini clad girls greet the boys by the Jacuzzi until they all find something they all admit they find more exciting: a gladiator adventure in kickboxing. Egged on by the perpetually smirky and smiling Ryan, we get a nasty fight with one participant all but unfamiliar with the methods or madness of this martial arts-boxing hybrid.

To ensure a level of decency, Ryan's new best friend, Max (Evan Peters) introduces him to the studio of famous Confucius teacher master, Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou), the karate kid of kickboxing who warns Ryan that if he gets in a fight outside the gym, he's out for good. There has to be some honor in the proceedings, or the film won't work properly.

And, I'll bet you can guess whether or not he keeps his promise. Besides some predictability, Chris Hautz's screenplay makes all the participants sound like kids, but does little else. Not every teen movie has to be `Juno (Single-Disc Edition),' but the dialogue has too much small talk and too little to inspire. There's more than a few cliches found here.

The very best thing about `Never Back Down' is former Oscar nominee, Djimon Hounsou, whom we must laud for taking this film out of the gutter, while regretting his departure from movies like `Blood Diamond (Full Screen Edition)'. The second best aspect of the movie, unfortunately, is the fighting scenes. Well shot with expert lighting and angles, director Jeff Wadlan captures all the blood, sweat, and tears of every encounter. Don't expect this to be the `Rocky' or `Raging Bull' of kickboxing, but at least it has more energy than the more decent, but lackluster recent effort `Redbelt'. It doesn't help that the characters aren't often likable. We can appreciate Jake Tyler's lot in life without finding much charisma in his character. Don't kids deserve better than this?

At the beginning of the movie, Wadlan touts his new movie version features "more bone crushing" sounds. Now if that's his heralded achievement for this feature DVD, count me as one heading toward the exit.

A J.P.'s Pan 2*'s = Mediocre

5 out of 5 stars

Incredible March 16, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This movie was awesome. The action was good and it makes you want to be in the movie. It was intense.

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