Come back Mr Miyagi, all is forgiven.
Never Back Down (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:79
Fresh:19
Rotten:60
Average Rating:4.4/10
Consensus: Though not without its pleasures, Never Back Down faithfully adheres to every imaginable fight movie cliché.
Theatrical Release:04-04-2008
Synopsis: Set against the action-packed world of Mixed Martial Arts, Never Back Down is the story of Jake Tyler, a tough kid who leads with his fists, and, often, with his heart. Jake Tyler, played by Sean... Set against the action-packed world of Mixed Martial Arts, Never Back Down is the story of Jake Tyler, a tough kid who leads with his fists, and, often, with his heart. Jake Tyler, played by Sean Faris, is the new kid in town with a troubled past. He has recently moved to Orlando, Florida with his family who has relocated to support his younger brother’s shot at a professional tennis career. Jake was a star athlete on the football team at home, but in this new city he is an outsider with a reputation for being a quick tempered brawler. Making an attempt to fit in, at the invitation of a flirtatious classmate, Baja (Amber Heard) Jake goes to a party where he is unwittingly pulled into a fight with a bully named Ryan McDonald (Cam Gigandet). While he is defeated and humiliated in the fight, a classmate introduces himself to Jake and tells him about the sport known as Mixed Marshall Arts (MMA). He sees a star in Jake and asks that he meet with his mentor, Jean Roqua, played by Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond, In America). It is immediately apparent to Jake that MMA is not street fighting, but rather an art form he wants to master. Roqua will take Jake under his wing, but it is up to Jake to find the patience, discipline, willingness and reason within him to succeed. For Jake, there is much more at stake than mere victory. His decision will not just settle a score; it will define who he is. --© Summit Entertainment [More]
Starring: Sean Faris, Djimon Hounsou, Amber Heard, Cam Gigandet
Starring: Sean Faris, Djimon Hounsou, Amber Heard, Cam Gigandet, Evan Peters, Leslie Hope, Wyatt Smith
Director: Jeff Wadlow
Director: Jeff Wadlow
Screenwriter: Chris Hauty
Producer: Patrick Wachsberger, Erik Feig, Craig Baumgarten, David Zelon
Composer: Michael Wandmacher
Studio: Summit Entertainment
Reviews for Never Back Down
The Karate Kid meets Fight Club but it's no way near as good as it sounds.
A naive and truly obnoxious movie about the world of Mixed Martial Arts.
If you think about what this film is saying, the superficiality is overwhelming.
A generic, violent underdog story that pays a lot of lip service to non-violence when its characters aren't busy kicking and punching the tar out of each other.
Enjoyably trashy teen flick that plays like a dumbed-down version of Fight Club, enlivened by an engaging lead performance by star-in-the-making Sean Faris.
Jeff Wadlow directed this exploitation flick, which seems designed for students on spring break.
People that actually think the trailer looks cool will probably like the movie enough and it does have some cool fights, I just couldn't get past the fact that the movie gave you no one to root for.
The ethical nitwittery of "fight so you don't have to fight again" and invocations of The Iliad in this context brazenly transform a dumb bone-cruncher into a putridly dissembling one.
Imagine if Fight Club impregnated Step Up. Their bastard child would be Never Back Down.
Never Back Down is a tired, asinine attempt to piggyback on a fight club subculture and it does wonders to make MMA seem like the most idiotic undertaking in recent memory.
Definitely better than a swift kick to the head, but it's just about as subtle.
A cross between "The Karate Kid" and "Fight Club," though without the A-list cast. That's right, the A-list cast. When compared to the D-listers assembled in "Back Down," Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio might as well be A-list.
Yesterday's Fight Club is today's "Combat Club" in this battle of teen six-pack abs.
You have had soup deeper than this film, and a referee should have been on hand to call foul on the acting.
Amid all this conventional-plotty mishmash, it's not a newsflash that the role of Jean, the tireless, morally upright and vaguely spiritual mentor, is especially grating.
Director Jeff Wadlow and screenwriter Chris Hauty offer viewers nothing that they can't see done better on Spike TV or one of the ESPN clones.
Latest News for Never Back Down
June 02, 2008:
2008 MTV Movie Awards Winners
Forget to tune into the 17th annual MTV Movie Awards last night? No problem -- here's a list of the evening's winners, including the coveted Best Summer Movie So Far award! More...
May 14, 2008:
Hauty, Wadlow, and Baumgarten Are The Eternals ![]()
The Never Back Down creative team -- writer Chris Hauty, director Jeff Wadlow, and producer Craig Baumgarten -- will reunite for CBS Films' The Eternals, which is being... More...
May 06, 2008:
2008 MTV Movie Award Nominations Announced
It's almost time to hand out some golden popcorn -- the nominations for the 2008 MTV Movie Awards have been announced! More...
April 09, 2008:
UK Box Office Breakdown: Son of Rambow Highest New Entry
In a piece of news almost as heartwarming as the film itself, Son of Rambow came in at second place in the UK box office this week, with the British indie nabbing almost... More...
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