| Overall Grade: |
A- |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
A- |
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| Direction: |
B+ |
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| Visuals: |
B+ |
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I got full Blown spoilers!!!!!!!
by Priscilla V (movies profile)
Jun 16, 2008
8
of
9 people found this review helpful
Never Back Down opens in the rain at a high school football game, the other team is obviously losing badly and the coach is referring to one particular player “number 44 is killing us”. Number 44 is none other than Jake Tyler (Sean Farris). Tyler being prideful a team member from the other team gets annoyed and brings a topic of Tyler’s father which obviously the subject is touchy and begins a fight with him. One punch and the player is knocked out as both teams begin to fight. Later on it is revealed that Tyler is moving because his little brother got a Tennis scholarship to a school in Orlando. As Tyler and his little brother are making packing the last boxes into the truck; they come upon an unlabeled box, Jake opens it to find the last of his father’s clothes with his favorite shirt in it reading “Coach Tyler”. Instead of giving it to goodwill like his mother did he labels the box useless junk and packs it up in the truck. On the first day of school Jake impresses a Baja Miller whom he is instantly smitten with by answering a question no one in the entire classroom knows. Later on that day Jake sees a fight and tries to break it up unsuccessfully the student says its practice. During lunch the same kid who was getting beat up walks up to him claiming that he YouTubed him and found the fight from the football game. After school Baja invites Jake to a party and he accepts. At the party Max introduces Jake to Ryan (Cam Gigandet) who is hosting the party. Jake remembers Ryan as one of the guys who watched Max get beat up at school. Ryan and Jake continue to talk until Ryan informs him that they must fight. At that moment Jake realizes that Baja and Ryan are dating. As the crowd forms and Max begins to record the fight, Jake tells Ryan that he doesn’t want to fight. Ryan he also saw the video. Again, Jake attempts to leave but Ryan goats him by talking about his father. This makes Jake pissed off and he agrees to fight. Ryan beats up Jake badly, because Jake would not give up. Fights can only be won by knockout or Tap outs and Ryan beats him by knockout. Max drives Jake home as he still blacking out. The next day Max gives Jake a DVD with fighters trained by Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou) at his training facility called 365 because it is open 365 days a year. After hesitating, Jake takes Max up on his offer.
At 365 we see fighters being trained by Roqua. Jake joins in and tells Roqua he is a fast learner. The workout is intense but Jake impresses Roqua with his heart. Roqua agrees to train him but the only rule is no fighting outside or else your out. Back at school Baja tries to apologize to Jake time after time but is shot down. The first day Jake trains very hard and Roqua teaches him breathing with fighting. Jake eventually breaks this rule by getting into a fight with tree men on the streets. When Ryan hears of the fight he confronts Jake by saying he is still not impressed and hurts him there to before he leaves saying the will finish this at the beat down. Jake asks Max what the beat down is and Max explains that it’s an underground fight. Roqua finds out about the fight with the scars on Jakes knuckles and kicks Jake out. After an emotional apology Roqua gives Jake another chance and becomes his star pupil, Jake also manages to form a closer bond with his mother and brother and make amends with his Baja and begin to date. Eventually Roqua starts sharing his personal life with Jake and explains why 365 is always open. Only a little while before the underground begins but Jake decides he is at peace and doesn’t need to fight. Ryan upset at this lowers Max to his house and beats the living daylights out of him leaving him at Jakes house. Jake upset joins the underground competition again. After several battles Jake is in the semi finals but Ryan is disqualified by cheating; right before Jake’s semi final fight begins, he notices Ryan is out of the game and taps out immediately since he only wanted to fight Ryan. After several word exchanges, Jake and Ryan begin to Brawl outside where the crowd follows saying this is the true finals. After using a move Roqua taught him several times through out the movie Jake knocks out Ryan and wins. In the end Ryan has respect for Jake and Jake finds his place with Max and Baja. |
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