by Missy Thompson
STAFF WRITER
It is difficult to watch an intentionally violent film when you are a pacifist. I know this from experience. However, I have to put my pacifism aside when viewing and analyzing movies as to give it a fair review. This is the case with "Never Back Down," a film that's plot revolves around an underground fight club.
Some might think of this movie as the teenage version of "Fight Club." Unfortunately, "Never Back Down" does not even come close to the caliber of acting, writing and directing as "Fight Club." Instead, it tries to make organized fighting out to be a good alternative to street fighting.
The only good aspect of "Never Back Down" comes from the acting of Djimon Hounsou who plays intense and strict mixed martial arts instructor Jean Roqua. Hounsou was nominated in last year's Academy Awards for best supporting actor for his role in "Blood Diamond." No matter the character Hounsou takes on, he excels. Even the mediocre acting from Sean Faris improves dramatically in his scenes with Hounsou.
Sometimes the fighting in "Never Back Down" takes a backseat to the predictable high school teen plotline. The parties at an Orlando, Fla., high school seem unbelievable, as does the fight club with students who look way too old to still be in high school. A few of the fight scenes are filmed quite artistically and look cool, but they are too few and far between.
In "Never Back Down" Jake Tyler (Faris) is an Iowa high school football star whose temper gets him into fights, one of which ends up on a popular video-sharing Web site. There are hints that his father died in a drunken driving-related accident recently. Jake's younger brother Charlie (Wyatt Smith) is a 10-year-old tennis star who received a scholarship to play at a prestigious school in Florida.
At his new high school, Jake makes friends with Max Cooperman (Evan Peters), a slightly geeky, wannabe fighter. He recognizes Jake from the video and word quickly spreads that Jake is an excellent fighter. Jake also meets Baja Miller (Amber Heard) who cons him into attending a party where he can fight and lose to her boyfriend, and fighting superstar, Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet).
Jake's mother (Margot Tyler) forbids her son from fighting, but Jake disobeys her and attends a mixed martial arts class taught by Roqua. Jake's raging temper even gets the better of him at the school where Roqua tells him that if he fights outside of class, he will never be allowed to enter again. After Max is lured to a fight and beaten to nearly an inch of his life by Ryan, Jake wants revenge. He enters into an underground fighting match for the sole purpose of fighting Ryan and showing his place in the fight scene and the school.
This movie has more bad moments than good. The script, written by Chris Hauty, is atrocious and kills any momentum "Never Back Down" has going for it. However, for fans who enjoy fighting or marital arts movies, this may be right up your alley. Otherwise, I would avoid this movie all together.
missy@tooeletranscript.com