Jake Tyler (Sean Faris) has two unfortunate vices in Never Back Down that render him almost completely dramatically inert: he’s a scrapper and has a dead father. This means that, every time someone mentions the latter, he wants to engage in a little of the former. And you can bet your last dollar that he rips open that cardboard box with the label “useless junk” sprawled across the side to get dear ol’ dad’s coaching jersey before going to beat the hell out of the school bully during the climax. Yep, it’s that predictable.
Born for UFC?
Jake has moved to Orlando in order for his little brother to pursue a promising career in tennis. Orlando is a good place for Jake as there seems to be an absence of the law. When he beats three guys almost to death in broad daylight out of pure road rage, not only is he not brought up on changes, or even approached by the cops, but becomes something a hero when a video of the incident shows up on YouTube. Only in America
Worst Film of 2008?
Jake’s desire, if not already gathered, is to kick butt and chew bubble gum. And, as the cliche goes, you can bet that there’s no Juicy Fruit anywhere to be seen. During his first day of class, the teacher lectures on Achilles which is darn lucky for the film’s sake because A) it provides an painfully obvious symbolic parallel, and B) Jake's answer to a question saves the fiery blonde Baja (Amber Heard) from having to answer herself.
Why is that convenient? Because it gets him an invite to a party where Ryan McCarthy is waiting to put Jake in his place, who was notorious before his arrival for an online video of him brawling during a football game. So popular is this video that kids watch it on their cell phones and iPods as he is walking past in the hall. Sure they do.
McCarthy is played by Cam Gigandet who looks like he is having a lot of fun in that way that only bad actors can when they don’t begin to realize that they are giving a truly terrible performance. Needless to say, the scrawny but ripped McCarthy gives Jake a beat down in front of half the school, leaving him without his dignity.
This prompts Jake to seek out Jean Roqua, a master of mixed martial arts who runs a local gym. Roqua is played (not so greatly) by Djimon Hounsou, that great African actor from such films as Blood Diamond and In America. Hounsou, whose performances are usually filled with passion and fire, brings remarkably little to the Roqua role, but it’s not really his fault, there’s remarkably little to be brought to it in the first place.
Mixed Martial Arts
So Jake, with an unending desire for revenge, begins to train under Roqua, whose one rule is that his students engage in absolutely no fighting outside of the gym. Is anyone willing to bet that the rule will eventually get broken? Didn’t think so. It leads however, to an emotional exchange in which Jake finds out that Roqua has not seen or spoken to his father back in Africa since the death of his brother, who he was blamed for. Who's willing to bet that the last shot of Roqua will be of him holding an airplane ticket? Also didn’t think so.
Where Jake’s fighting needs work is in his form. He’s gets too angry and comes at his opponent with all of his strength. Luckily Roqua teaches him valuable lessons like how to breathe between each punch, which will strengthen the total impact of the blow. Their relationship rarely ever goes much deeper than this.
What irks Jake even more is that Baja, who he has taken quite the shiner to, turns out to actually be McCarthy’s girl. Of course she is. But what would a girl like Baja really see in a guy like McCarthy, who only seems to be happy when he is inflicting pain on others?
The Baja/McCarthy relationship is completely superfluous; just one more contrivance that the script piles on, leading up to that fateful moment during the climax when a fully trained Jake and McCarthy exchange blows once again. Who's willing to bet that….ah nevermind.
Verdict
There is not one good scene in Never Back Down, not one good line of dialogue, not one character drawn fully enough to care about. Instead it’s a celebration of testosterone: of ripped abs, pulsating biceps, sweaty chests, etc. It glories in those moments of fists connecting with jaws and ankles intercepting ribcages, with director Jeff Wadlow and his editors go into overdrive trying to make the fights as intense and romantic as possible.
That said, it's sometimes possible to get in a funny sort of mood and let some movie’s slip by the critical safety net, enjoying them for what they are, not expecting anything more. That was the case with Step Up 2, whose danceathon The Streets, is exactly the same as Never Back Down’s climactic fight tournament in that both are underground events, held at secret locations, that one is invited to by a cell phone text, received the night before.
Sure, it was dumb, but in a sweet and innocent way that didn’t mean any harm, not to mention those impressive dance numbers. Never Back Down however, is kind of laughable in its mediocrity. The situation is so exaggerated and is so driven by the formulaic needs of the screenplay that it is next to impossible to care about the hero and his quest to prove himself better than the enemy but beating him into the pavement. Too bad for the pavement.
Rating: 1 out of 5
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