9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
3 ½ Stars: Mixed Martial Arts Collides with Teenage Issues, July 31, 2008
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 ½ Stars]
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fierce, Emotional, and Gritty, July 30, 2008
From the trailer I assumed the best and I was rewarded. The action is fast paced, each scene is useful and masterfully written. If you like UFC or MMA fighting this movie kick serious a... You know it, I know it. So there is nothing like a good old brawl reminiscent of the original Rocky. The soundtrack is the strong suit of this movie it adds aggression and motivation. Watch it I strongly recommend it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More like Showdown than Karate Kid, July 29, 2008
Its easy to (and many already have) compare Never Back Down to the classic Karate Kid, as the plot is quite similar, but this film is even more alike a lesser known (though pretty decent) B-movie from the early 90's titled "Showdown" Showdown is basically a stronger more agressive version of Karate Kid that actually had some decent fighting action and featured Billy Blanks (not a great actor, but he can sure fight). Never Back Down is also a more agressive version of Karate Kid with bigger and better fights, though I would say not quite as good as some of the fights in Showdown. Reason being is all the frantic editing that is typical of American martial art films that still remains a looong way from the beautiful straight shots featured in Asian cinema fighting. The fights still look and feel very intense thanks to close directing and smacking sound effects, and are still fun to enjoy in their own right. But in the end, its the combination of elements that come together and make this movie enjoyable as a whole.
Ok, so the story isn't completely original and a few might say eh, it's a bit cheesy. But for the kind of movie this is I must say there was a little more effort and thought put into than I expected. While I have already mentioned the fights aren't up to par to Asian cinema, they are still fun nonetheless. In addition to the hard sound effects and close directing, the booming soundtrack and flashy arenas (take an all-out packed club for example) add to the guilty pleasure of watching the fight action. And while most of the film consists of training, the meat of the fights is a good 15 minutes at the film's climax. As for that story, it features a young man named Jake, still in school who has moved to a new town (Orlando, FL) and gets the beat-down from another boy who is the top MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) at the school (this guy even sets up fights under the football bleachers). Jake goes off to train with a MMA master (Djimon Hounsou - a nice addition to the film I might add) and goes through a series of exercises and the usual you'd expect from these kind of films. Serioulsy its all too much like Showdown but I admit I couldn't help getting into this version.
Karate Kid is a classic yes, but a bit outdated and Showdown (despite some good fights) is also outdated and just a bit too cheesy, so here's the newest version of the classic storyline we can't help but enjoy - it's flashier, harder, punchier (no pun) and actually put together fairly well. It's very typical American martial arts film style, but its a lot better than most I have seen - it's just a lot of fun.
Acting - 3.5
Action - 4
Characters - 3.5
Story - 4
Overall - 4
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