Never Back Down (2008)

Director:

Jeff Wadlow

Writer (WGA):

Chris Hauty (written by)

Release Date:

14 March 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sport

Plot:

At his new high school, a rebellious teen is lured into an underground fight club, where he finds a mentor in a mixed martial arts veteran.

Plot Keywords:

Beefcake | High School | Barefoot | Bully | Teen Movie

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Sean Faris	...	Jake Tyler
Amber Heard	...	Baja Miller
Cam Gigandet	...	Ryan McCarthy
Evan Peters	...	Max Cooperman
Leslie Hope	...	Margot Tyler
Djimon Hounsou	...	Jean Roqua
Wyatt Smith	...	Charlie Tyler (as Wyatt Henry Smith)
Affion Crockett	...	Beatdown DJ Swagga
Neil Brown Jr.	...	Aaron
Lauren Leech	...	Jenny
Tilky Jones	...	Eric
Steven Crowley	...	Ben Costigan
Tom Nowicki	...	Mr. Lloyd
David Zelon	...	Ryan's Dad
Chris Lindsay	...	Beat Down Referee

Also Known As:

Get Some (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving intense sequences of fighting/violence, some sexuality, partying and language - all involving teens.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #44164) | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:PG (edited version) | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Ireland:15A | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | South Korea:12 | Norway:15

Filming Locations:

Clermont, Florida, USA

Company:

Summit Entertainment

Trivia:

As a disclaimer, this movie is not an accurate representation of MMA.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Jake does the final kick to Ryan, when he turns to see Baja (camera on Baja), his face appears flawless (no cuts, no scratches). Then when the camera turns back to Jake, his face has cuts, scratches.

Quotes:

Jake Tyler: Go away, Charlie.
Max Cooperman: It's, um, Max Cooperman... And Baja Miller?
[the door flies open]
Max Cooperman: Haha! That was too easy.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2008-03-15)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

False Pretense

Much better than advertised

The advertisements for this movie do it serious injustice. I was standing in the lobby of a movie theater at a free showing, and almost didn't walk in, because the trailers and ads had me convinced it was a complete waste of time. The advertisements portray the film as being merely a vehicle for shirtless boys to beat on each other and hot girls to wear bikinis. While there is no shortage of either, the movie has a strong underlying theme and a decent plot.

At the thematic level, the movie is about accepting responsibility for your actions, controlling your emotions, and making good choices. It's as much about motivations as macho.

Yes, it is a teen-targeted movie. You've got rich kids running around in massive mansions driving expensive cars, but that's just the setting. You've got people beating the crap out of each other, but that's just a plot device. The heart of the movie is about personal growth and making choices. 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. It's definitely worth the price of a rental, and worth the $10 to see it in theaters, if you've got no other plans. I blame the negativity largely on the advertising, which tries to sell it as "just another fight movie".