Maybe a better movie could pull off these cheesy, melodramatic lines, but not Never Back Down, and not with actors who belong in an after-school special. Never Back Down has its actors stuttering lines like, "You wanted that fight, you just didn't want to lose," "Walking away and giving up are not the same thing," and "Sometimes fighting the fight means doing the one thing you don't want to do." The long, dramatic pauses after the lines are delivered imply the film actually believes it's being intellectual and thought provoking. Wouldn't a parent call the principal's office at some point? Or the police? Or a lawyer? Or social services? Just forget the logistics of 16- and 17-year-olds almost killing each other without much notice or opposition. Forget that these are students beating the concrete out of each other and the authorities are barely mentioned.
Luckily, Jake's new friend (Evan Peters) tells him about a local martial arts master ( Djimon Hounsou) who can perfect Jake's fighting skills and settle the score with Ryan. (The website for the competition: Real Fights 4 Real. After all, Ryan's a champion in "The Beat Down," a secret martial arts competition in Orlando where only the best compete. After getting humiliated and beaten to a pulp by Ryan at a pool party, Jake vows to get even. When Jake makes a move on Baja, he quickly learns about Ryan's martial arts skills. Her current boyfriend, Ryan ( Cam Gigandet), is a bully who mistreats everyone and everything. All the while, Jake's mother ( Leslie Hope) desperately tries to hold the family together as they mourn the recent loss of the man of the house.Īt his new high school, Jake meets Baja ( Amber Heard) and instantly develops a crush on her.
After his younger brother is offered an opportunity in Orlando, he leaves high school football fame in Iowa and relocates with his family. Jake ( Sean Faris) is a tough kid from the Midwest with a troubled past. Never Back Down delivers cliché after cliché. He might be performing well as an athlete, but he's not getting anywhere, and he's certainly not going to win the race. Imagine a powerful Olympic athlete racing to a finish line, but never realizing he's on a treadmill. It's loud, flashy, brawny, and fast paced, but it doesn't have a brain behind its assets. In fact, Never Back Down is awkward and clueless throughout. The list of awkward scenes could continue. And the music video-esque scene in which Jake's mother charges through the house and dramatically, um, does the laundry. There's also a scene where Jake breaks out his newly learned karate moves when a car behind him honks at a stop sign. But Never Back Down doesn't bring earnestness and truth to this scene it just feels awkward and clueless. Many priceless movie moments have taken place in unexpected locations. Did the filmmakers think audiences would take this movie seriously when the drama peaks as the characters are shopping for spinach and romaine?Įffective drama can happen in a grocery store. That's right, the pivotal scene of Never Back Down takes place in the produce aisle of a grocery store. His decision will not just settle a score it will define who he is.As Jake has an emotional breakdown and reveals his inner demons, his mentor listens with an attentive ear. For Jake, there is much more at stake than mere victory. Roqua will take Jake under his wing, but it is up to Jake to find the patience, discipline, willingness and reason within him to succeed. It is immediately apparent to Jake that MMA is not street fighting, but rather an art form he wants to master. He sees a star in Jake and asks that he meet with his mentor, Jean Roqua, played by Djimon Hounsou ("Blood Diamond," "In America"). While he is defeated and humiliated in the fight, a classmate introduces himself to Jake and tells him about the sport known as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Making an attempt to fit in, at the invitation of a flirtatious classmate, Baja (Amber Heard) Jake goes to a party where he is unwittingly pulled into a fight with a bully named Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet). Jake was a star athlete on the football team at home, but in this new city he is an outsider with a reputation for being a quick tempered brawler.
#Never back down professional
He has recently moved to Orlando, Florida with his family who has relocated to support his younger brother's shot at a professional tennis career. Jake Tyler, played by Sean Faris, is the new kid in town with a troubled past. Plot Summary: Set against the action-packed world of Mixed Martial Arts, "Never Back Down" is the story of Jake Tyler, a tough kid who leads with his fists, and, often, with his heart.
0 kommentar(er)
