Never Back Down

Plot synopsis:
Jake Tyler (Sean Faris) helps his high-school football team win an important game. A frustrated player from the opposing team makes taunts about Jake's father, who died while driving drunk. Infamously-hot-tempered Jake starts a brawl with the opposing player. Spectators capture the brawl with mobile phones and video-cameras. Soon, the brawl is uploaded to YouTube.Jake gets thrown off the team for brawling, but takes it in stride because he is leaving this school anyway. He and his younger brother Charlie (Wyatt Henry Smith) are moving with their widowed mom to Orlando, Florida where Charlie has received a tennis scholarship. The Tyler brothers are close despite Jake's penchant for fighting and getting into trouble, which greatly upsets their mom (Leslie Hope).At his new school, Jake has a hard time fitting in. He catches the eye of Baja Miller (Amber Heard), a pretty classmate who flirts with him. Later, Jake notices fellow student Max Cooperman (Evan Peters) getting beaten up on campus. Jake rushes to Max's aid, only to discover that the "bullying" he disrupted was actually a street-kickboxing match. Everybody present, including Max, demands that the astonished Jake leave.At school the next day, Max lets it be known that there are videos on the internet of Jake's football brawl, which has gained him a positive reputation on campus. Max invites Jake to come and learn mixed martial arts with his instructor, while Baja invites Jake to a party at her boyfriend Ryan McCarthy's mansion. Jake declines the former offer but accepts the latter. At McCarthy Manor that night, host Ryan (Cam Gigandet) - having seen the internet footage - challenges Jake to demonstrate his brawling prowess in a fight against...Ryan himself. When Jake refuses the challenge, letting Ryan know that Jake came to the party only because Baja invited him. Ryan kisses Baja in front of Jake to verify whose girlfriend she is. Jake realizes that he's being set up, and attempts to leave - until Ryan makes taunts about the disgraceful death of Jake's dad. An angry Jake accepts the challenge but is brutally defeated by Ryan. Baja appears disgusted with Ryan for continually beating on Jake, despite the fact that Jake was obviously down and out.A day later, Max comes to Jake's house, and repeats the invitation to come and learn Mixed Martial Arts from Max's instructor, Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou). This time, Jake accepts. He meets Max at Roqua's gym and is introduced to Roqua himself. Roqua briefly interviews Jake...who, he senses, is there for the wrong reasons. Nonetheless, Roqua allows Jake to train with him - both in class, and personally before classes - on the condition that Jake does not fight anybody for any reason outside the gym. Jake notices that Roqua apparently lives in the gym.The night after Jake's first training session, Baja comes over to his house to apologize for setting him up at the party. Jake quickly retorts after Baja tells him about her school life, saying "Does that mean I'm meant to feel sorry for you because you're popular?" The next day, Baja confronts Ryan and breaks up with him on account that he beat Jake up. In his anger, he grabs Baja's arm and refuses to let go, even after she pleads. Jake appears and attempts to stop it, only to which Ryan insults his late father, saying "You're weak...like your old man...was". This insult has a negative impact on Jake's training that afternoon. At the gym, he is too aggressive, and, Roqua, sensing this, tells him to go home to cool off. Max gives Jake a ride in his Ford Mustang. At a set of lights, three guys in a yellow Hummer relentlessly and annoyingly beep their horn at Max. Jake, still angry from Ryan's insult, and spurred on by the repetitive horn, goes out to confront the three guys. He beats them all up on the street, and the footage is filmed by Max, and uploaded and spread throughout the internet. This further improves his social profile within the school, now being the second-most popular boy after Ryan.The next training session, and unfortunately for Jake, Roqua sees that Jake has wounds on his knuckles which could have only come from fighting against his rules and banishes Jake from the gym. When Roqua goes grocery shopping, Jake confronts him and admits that Roqua was right: he signed up to train for the wrong reasons. Jake also tells Roqua the late Mr. Tyler's story; evidently, Jake feels that his mother blames him for her husband's demise. Roqua then tells his story: he had an younger brother, who was an excellent mixed-martial artist. One day in a bar, a local bully mouthed off at young Joseph, who was about to fight the bully himself. His brother won the brawl, only to be shot and killed by the bully's friends. Jean's father blames him for permitting the situation to escalate into violence which could have been avoided. Jean left home over that; he has not seen his father, or even set foot in Brazil, for the past seven years.Jake declines to enter The Beatdown. When Ryan discovers this turn of events he invites Max to McCarthy Manor on false pretenses. There Ryan engages Max in combat and beats him brutally. Fearing for his friends' safety, Jake reverses his decision and enters The Beatdown after all - only to face Ryan. Roqua hears of this as well, and confronts Jake with an ultimatum: Jake will never be allowed near the gym again if he even goes to The Beatdown, much less fights in it. Jake - realizing that Roqua is trying to prevent him from making the same mistake which Roqua himself made with his own father - answers that Roqua's only mistake was not doing what Jake himself is about to do. Said mistake wasn't brawling; it was evading the conflict at hand, rather than confronting and resolving it.At The Beatdown, both Jake and Ryan reach the semi-finals. Then Ryan is disqualified for eye-gouging. In view of this, Jake taps out one second into his semi-final bout (because his purpose for entering The Beatdown to begin with is no longer present). Outside the club, Ryan attacks Jake and they have a spectacular brawl in the club parking lot. Ultimately Jake wins the fight. (In the 2 Disc and Blu Ray versions, there is a deleted scene where Ryan tries to challenge Jake to a rematch.) Jake replies to this by bringing to light the fact the fans are chanting for the rematch unsatified with the fight they just saw, and subsequently they want to watch just simply two guys "kill" each other and do not care about the sport itself. This would cause Ryan to realize he had basically been a puppet to gladitorial combat for the amusment of others and not the one on top and in control he thought he was. Angered and embarrassed he yells at the crowd and runs off.Jake has won the respect of all his fellow students, up to and including Ryan. For the first time in a long while, Roqua closes the gym and goes to visit his family in Brazil.

Tags: inspiring, revenge, violence, flashback

Review:
It's not an empty action flick or a taped brawl.It's not the best film of the year, and it may well wind up as a late night cable movie in a few months, but it's nowhere near as bad as people expect.
. Never Back Down was still a really great movie that I had a lot of fun watching, and I was surprised with how much I actually ended up liking it.
Of course this film is really very predictable and was basically just a rip-off version of Fight Club, The Karate Kid, and movies like that in general that was basically aimed at 16, 17, and 18 year old boys, but it was really enjoyable if you just judge it based on an actual movie and not what audience it's trying to pull in.It did get pretty annoying and downright unbelievable at times, but I have to give this movie it's props, because the acting was done very professionally for a bunch of model-body teenage actors, and it also managed to keep me so interested and entertained through the entire film with semi adroit and crafty, motivating scenes and material matter.
Overall, I was so happy with the outcome of this movie, because while being cliché, and certainly not worthy of winning an Oscar or anything like that, it was really enjoyable, and I had a great time watching it.
Yes, it's just a revamped Karate Kid.But with MMA, not just Karate, although I did have the occasional urge to shout "Cobra Kai!" when the bad guy came on screen.Some cool action, basically just MMA (like in the UFC) that's been "hollywoodized" to be showy, "underground", and performed by supposed teenagers.Djimon Hounsou is wasted on this film, but does fairly well at being the token real actor, giving it some tenuous legitimacy.
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.
(On a side, UFC president Dana White considers Bruce Lee the "father of modern mixed martial arts.")In "Never Back Down," which seeks to promote MMA for the mainstream, Jake Tyler (Sean Faris, who looks remarkably like a young Tom Cruise) is a promising football player who is relocated with his widowed mother and younger brother from their home in Iowa to the posh surroundings of upper-class Orlando, Florida; they opt for a cramped apartment in suburbia away from the surf and bikini-clad babes.
Plenty of martial arts movies have been made about the bullied good guy who gets his butt kicked, learns to fight from a master, and tests out his newfound skills by getting revenge on his tormentors in the ring.
The story of a boy that gets into trouble in school and starts fighting because of that isn't original, but between all the predictable movies with this theme, certainly this is the best.Your attention is caught in every single scene.
He definitely knew how to be the typical bad guy; not like those annoying bad actors in teenagers movie, but a darker, more "serious" one.Even with all these qualities that makes Never Back Down stands out, I don't think that older people will enjoy watching it...
I haven't really gotten into the whole UFC/mixed martial arts thing, but I thought the fighting in this movie was exciting.
Two words to describe this film..."LAUGH RIOT!" I was merely going for the sake of humor and heckling, but I believe I gave the American movie going public more credit by thinking they would watch something a little more credible and leave the theater empty for others such as myself going for the exact same reasons.
Solid acting, good story and nice fighting scenes.The thing i don't understand are the bad review about this movie.
There is just enough action to keep the fans excited, enough drama to keep them drawn in, good plot development to keep you interested, a good mix of hot girls and for the ladies there are buff dudes, and the sense of morality and character.Being a martial artist for 10 years myself, I was pleased with the fight scenes (although they cannot compare to The Protector) but since this movie wasn't starring people like Jet Li who dedicate every performance to fighting, the actors did very well and proved themselves.The cheesy storyline and mediocre character development are the only things keeping me from giving this movie a 10 star rating.
Either way, Djimon's acting was nothing short of impressive, and during a few very emotional scenes, you are reminded why you love this actor so much.Sean Faris did a surprisingly good job too, I'm forecasting this to be his breakout role.The dialogue is cheesy at many points, but the actors deliver it well so it works.
Kind of.This film is a success in the way that it allows itself to play both as a true fight-movie genre, sure to satisfy the 2008 Karate Kid fans, and a over the top camp spectacle, sure to excite the drunk-in-the-theater, "Snakes on a Plane!", hollaring at the screen crowd.
The way the film takes advantage of class politics (poor white boy from Iowa without a father gets taught to fight by poorer Brazilian man to fight super rich white boy) is cheap, completely subverted by MTV Cribs-like glorification of wealth-- Jake doesn't have a car, but it never becomes more than an a badge of authenticity since new friend Max seems fine with lending him his hot little convertible for the entire story.Violence is glorified, and the warnings from Hounsou's character never to fight outside the gym play the clichéd moralistic role you'd expect until the final fight scene demands something else.None of this should be any surprise to audiences and in a way it seems hard to critique the film for them.
Donnie Yen's recent Flash Point provided action movie fans a glimpse of Mixed-Martial Arts, or MMA, where the best of breed techniques in taking down an opponent get gelled together to provide unpredictability in offensive and defensive response, coupled with the transformation of almost every part of the body into a well-oiled mechanism to dish out some serious punishment.
I was expecting a Fight Club knockoff but came out very surprised and pleased at what an awesome job the actors, director, and producers did.A mentor, father figure, and friend is passionately and nailed perfectly by Djimon Hounsou, and I can tell that both Sean Faris and Cam Gigandet have very promising careers ahead of them.All actors involved gave great performances and no one looked out of place or inexperienced.
The movie sets you up great, has an outstanding and somewhat surprising climax and always keeps you guessing until the very last scene.I highly recommend this flick to anyone looking for a new twist on a classic genre of film, and if you are looking for awesome performances from a great group of new, somewhat no name actors/actresses.The fight scenes are probably some of the best I have ever seen.
Some filmmaker thought one day, since we are running out of ideas lets combine some 80's fighting films like The Karate Kid(1984), and Bloodsport(1988), and what you get is Never Back Down, The story of a teenager named Jake Tyler(Sean Faris, Best known from Yours, Mine, and Ours(2005) has just moved into a new town with mom(Leslie Hope) and younger brother(Wyatt Smith).
One day after school, Jake is invited to a party, what he thinks is a way to make new friends, ends up turning into a UFC challenge, when Jake is lured into a fight by an antagonist named Ryan McCarthy(Cam Gigandet), although Jake puts up a pretty good fight, he is beaten down badly.
Whether it's fighting scenes with Cam Gigandet (who plays Ryan with simmering rage and menace that you can't help but be afraid for Jake) or big brother scenes with Wyatt Smith (who plays the youngest Tyler) Faris shows the well-roundedness of this character.Another great relationship is between Jake and his trainer Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou in another outstanding performance).
This movie was mediocre in every way as far as production went, then I was somewhat attracted to the concept of a fight club (we had those when I was in High School), and it was just bad lol.
Karate Kid, Rocky and Fight Club all rolled into one!I've gotta say I actually really liked this film!
I could quite easily have seen them doing this film 20 years ago...and I can see people looking back on this one as the film to break Sean Faris and Cam Gigandet.If you want a fun, all action evening out, then this is actually worth a trip to the cinema for!.
Oh, did i mention he's also the 'bad guy' who can kick anyone's ass.The struggling single mother...the overly loving well intentioned little brother...the comedic & goofy looking best friend who isn't good at fighting...the brooding mentor with a past that he wants to forget...the...OK, i'll stop.The acting isn't bad and the dialog is somewhat believable.
watch the karate kid and you will see the same movie, just with a different fighting style.
The thing to do in this town is being into UFC/MMA and participating in the low key fight club.If you're looking for some time to kill or your looking for a simple yet enjoyable movie check this out.
Jeff Wadlow directs this endless violence parade with some interesting faces - the angry young man Jake is portrayed by Tom Cruise lookalike Sean Faris, his 'underground fight club' opponent Ryan is Cam Gigandet - but the reason to keep watching this otherwise bloody mess of a film is the always fine Djimon Hounsou as the coach with experience and heart Jean Roqua.
Sean Faris is a great lead, and plays off well against Cam Gigandet, both come in great shape for this film with Gigandet looking like he may have focused strongly on calisthenics (looks strong and functional).The fight scenes are awesome, the acting is spot on, and the soundtrack does nothing to harm the film.Overall if you like martial art films, then you should really check this out.
From having been in a cage in several occasions, I can only appreciate the work done with the fight scenes and since it's the first MMA based movie I've ever watched , I'm pretty pleased with the results.Give it a try if practice martial arts or fighting sports, otherwise you'll focus more on the dull plot and won't get the fights right..
If you can find a high-school with that many future models and kids as psychopathic as Ryan McCarthy, please contact me and I'll delete this.I can completely understand how intense it would seem if I was Jake "Unbelievably Stereotypical High School Drama Name" Tyler (which I guess the completely ridiculous name of "Baja" is supposed to compensate for), but there are several parts where you just have to wonder how realistic it is for one guy, even if he is a trained fighter, to take on four reasonably sizable dudes.That said, if you can put realism to one side long enough to enjoy the incredibly brutal fight scenes and surprisingly engaging storyline, this movie is really fun.
You won't learn a valuable lesson, but you'll want to start a backyard MMA club when you get home (even though the film doesn't really present an accurate depiction of real-life mixed martial arts).Overall, this movie is really fun and enjoyable.
this movie is NOTHING like the karate kid, and is ABSOLUTELY nothing like fight club, but it is still good.
Like a perverts FIGHT CLUB this film is made by adults who should know better than to simply use revenge and social decay as an excuse to show fit and healthy guys and their bimbo girlfriends gleefully enjoying bashings.
It's that I can't imagine how many stupid kids are going to fight each other in the parking lot because they're dumb and don't realize that this isn't at all representational of what MMA is like or even really about.Take it from someone who's fought, trained, gotten to know some of the best there is, and watches almost everything concerning MMA with no shame (I've been to every kind of event from small local shows to the UFC itself).
This film is a good film with some great acting by Sean Faris, Amber Heard, Cam Gigandet, Evan Peters and Djimon Hounsou.
The acting by Sean Faris as Jake Tyler, Amber Heard as Baja Miller, Cam Gigandet as Ryan McCarthy, Evan Peters as Max Cooperman and Djimon Hounsou as Jean Roqua was very good.
This film did lack things in quite a few ways though and one of the main things was that the violent and malicious martial arts champion Ryan McCarthy had a big ego and was a complete dickhead, thinking he's the most powerful person ever, but Jake Tyler proved him wrong and knocked the living daylights out of him.
Get some The Karate Kid, add some Bloodsport, mix with Fight Club with a dash of Rocky and you have Never Back Down.Not the most original film but amiable, predictable and silly enough as hotheaded and rebellious Jake Tyler (Sean Farris) who beat up everyone on a football pitch because of a rude comment about his father moves to a new town to help his younger brother play competitive tennis.However in his first day at High School he is lured into a fight by Ryan (Cam Gigandet) who is aware of his exploits in his previous school as they run a not so underground fight club.Jake gets badly beaten up by Ryan and befriends Max (Evan Peters), who introduces him to the world of Mixed Martial Arts run by Jean (Djimon Hounsou) a tough trainer who has a golden rule.
He loses, you know the rest, he joins a school, bonds with his sensei, kisses/sleeps with the girl/wins a few fights and ends up victorious in the end.If you've watched the 80's movies 'The Karate Kid', 'Kickboxer' and 'Bloodsport' (which are a lot more better) you know what this film is about.
This is an excellent drama/action picture.First rate performances from all the cast, a good moral in the story exemplified from the film title, with engaging and appropriate music throughout.A college student in a new city with a penchant for fighting gets involved in a fight cult so to speak and turns to a martial arts trainer to teach him and at the same time solve his and others problems as well.The bully/'baddie' in the movie steals the show.
The only people who did not like this movie were the ones going into it thinking, oh this better have a good script or plot or character development.
I know he is supposed to be seen as the bad guy, but he doesn't start out that way (ie the beginning of the party and the end of the movie) which I liked as a step away from the stereotypical.Overall, I found NBD to be a great fight movie, definitely no Fight Club (and personally feel they could've gotten someone better for the main character) but still completely worth a view.And besides, Amber Heard?
When I saw the trailer for this in the cinema ages ago, I thought it looked like just the sort of film I fancied watching and relaxing to - I'm really not a major action junkie but I can appreciate well co-ordinated stunts and fight scenes.
When I saw the trailer for "Never Back Down", I didn't seem too impressed.It looked like a lamer version of "The Karate Kid" and I was not interested in it one bit.I watched it on the movie network on Friday.It actually exceeded my expectations!
Once you get passed the un-realistic ness of the movie, and the fact it is sort of like a UFC version of "Karate Kid", there is a fairly decent film.It's about a teen who's father was killed right in front of him in a drunk driving accident.During a football game, someone on the other team mentions this, which starts a fight.This is right before the family moves to a new place and he attends a new school.However the fight made it to youtube and everybody has seen it.He gets invited to this party by this pretty girl and everything seems to be going fine.However, this one person who enjoys fighting, wants to challenge him.He does and the other guy brutally beats him.Here is an unrealistic aspect, no high school party has girls making out while naked in a hot tub(as depicted in the film), and how many teens have planned fights at their parties?
the 2 lead actors are look alikes of Tom Cruise and Paul walker and thats one of the movies Plus points getting to see guys that look like 2 of the most annoying people in Hollywood kick the cack out of each other is great.To be fair the fight scenes aren't bad and even the training sequences are bearable shame there set to an awful soundtrack.The plot is mega predictable and if you have seen the karate kid and only the strong it pretty much borrows everything from those 2 movies.It's Def not worth seeing at the flicks unless you are a typical Hollywood American teenager.
The movie is a lot like Fight Club, but with mediocre acting, and a lesser plot.