Solid Movie

Rating: 7/10 (29 July 2014)

Never Back Down knows where it is to cover, and knows its audience. All of this eventually leads up to the big showdown in an underground tournament that just so happens to take place at one of Orlando's hottest night clubs.
The fight scenes themselves are energetic and impressive, especially considering the cast involved. The film could have been helped by less shaky camera movements during these sequences, but fight choreographer Damon Caro deserves a lot credit for crafting brawls that stay fairly true to the MMA style.
Hounsou really stands out as the best thing in the film. both in terms of acting and fighting technique. During his training sequences he displays impressive speed, agility and fluidity. It's too bad we never get to see him in a proper fight scene. The story does have its moments, but for the most part it's a paint-by-the-numbers affair.
Never Back Down has been compared to several films which came before it, and for good reasons because it shares many similarities to other films. It takes parts from the Karate Kid, Fight Club, You Got Served, with several other elements from The O.C.
Never Back Down is solid for what it is, as it entertains the audience but the storyline is far too predictable, and really not that interesting.
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As a rewatch (06/19/18') Never Back Down does what it was intended for and is a satisfying and enjoying watch. Although as mentioned before, the film is filled with many cliches and takes bits and parts from past films, Never Back Down is still quite entertaining. Rating changed from 6 to 7