a heavily under-rated kick-arse movie, albeit its flaws...

Rating: 9/10 (8 April 2008)

Being a martial artist myself, i can understand why others may not feel the same way towards what i am about to say as this film is clearly aimed at a specific audience.
Never back down is a good teen-young adult film. Why is it rated so low? It contains and deals with many issues that are in our every lives. Issues of pride, of bullying, of prejudice, of commitment and above all respect. Its promotional campaign does not do it justice. If one looks below the surface, this movie has some depth to it.
Good things about it: fantastic soundtrack, good acting, great locations, professional fighting and pretty good story, albeit being a bit simple and predictable.
Bad things about it: a bit cheesy, mostly predictable, lack of character development apart from Jake (the main character) and Jean Roqua, the occasional bad technique (from my point of view) and a clear plastic feel to it due to the beautiful people.
I'm not much of a writter, all I'll say is this film is worth watching and is very empowering, particularly if you are a martial artist or have had a bad day.
overall 9/10