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Never Back Down
Summit Entertainment


7.7

based on 22 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 79 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

Cry_Wolf

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

Starring Sean Faris, Djimon Hounsou, Cam Gigandet, Amber Heard, Evan Peters, and Wyatt Smith

Jake Tyler never goes looking for trouble, but it always seems to find him. Since the breakup of his parents' marriage, it's everywhere he turns. Freshly transplanted from a sleepy Iowa town to the heat and flash of new-money Orlando, Florida, Jake seems headed for even more rocky terrain as he is pulled into an underground fighting league--a kind of fight club for teens. With the help of his new group of friends--a fight and life-savvy coach, a free-thinking and adventurous girlfriend, and a scrawny but charming best friend--Jake manages to rise above the chaos around him. But just as he's beginning to feel like he's in control, his world is turned upside down once again by an unrelenting campaign to get him back in the ring. (Summit Entertainment)

GENRE(S):	Action \| Drama
WRITTEN BY:	Chris Hauty Sean Faris
DIRECTED BY:	Jeff Wadlow
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: July 29, 2008 Theatrical: March 14, 2008
RUNNING TIME:	110 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Formulaic and derivative, but sufficiently well made to work as both teen-angst melodrama and bone-rattling brawl picture.

The Hollywood Reporter Stephen Farber

Although the movie set in the hot new arena of mixed martial arts is a bit short on star power, it's energetic and warm-hearted enough to become a word-of-mouth hit.

Boston Globe Wesley Morris

The movie is just a cheesy, preposterous, semi-eroticized way of yelling, "Fight! Fight!," when two people go at it in the school cafeteria.

Variety John Anderson

Best part, though, is the cast: Everyone's a model, everyone beats each other half to death, and no one looks as if they've ever suffered so much as a coldsore.

Village Voice Jim Ridley

A modest surprise: better acted than needed, better made than expected.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

It’s a little “Karate Kid,” a smidge of “Fight Club” (with none of the ironic ambivalence toward violence that David Fincher brought to that story), a lot of “The O.C.” (evil boy Gigandet played an evil boy on that series), and presto: probable hit.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Director Jeff Wadlow and screenwriter Chris Hauty are so committed to following through on the "Karate Kid" formula that they don't care for novelty; it's enough for them just to hit their cues and play up the slo-mo MMA brutality. In the future, movies this derivative will be made by robots.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Jeff Wadlow directed this exploitation flick, which seems designed for students on spring break.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

This movie isn't bad just because it follows a formula slavishly but because it does so without verve or passion.

Los Angeles Times Jan Stuart

A disposable sports drama.

San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein

A junior version of "Fight Club," only with no movie stars and different moves.

New York Daily News Joe Neumaier

By the time ever-noble, ever-watchable Djimon Hounsou shows up to teach earnest young Jake honor and roundhouse kicks, the power-rock and smashmouth idiocy become like a fever dream, sweaty and hard to shake off.

Austin Chronicle Steve Davis

Borrows from other movies almost shamelessly.

Film Threat Felix Vasques Jr.

About as bland, predictable, and self-important as you’d expect.

Empire Nick De Semlyen

"The Karate Kid" meets "Fight Club" but it's no way near as good as it sounds.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jason McBride

At times, the film is more fun than it deserves to be, and it's probably a lot more fun if you're a 13-year-old with an addiction to "Bully: Scholarship Edition."

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

The movie speeds up and slows down as though controlled by a director in the grip of competing medications. For those who make it to the final beatdown, however, the only pill worth taking is the one that makes you forget.

New York Post Kyle Smith

A formula flick that should have tapped out in the script stage.

Entertainment Weekly Gregory Kirschling

Movie is dopey. And with its emphasis on stupid violence, xylophone abs, and getting yourself on YouTube, it's yet another product that makes you feel bad about today's youth culture.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Reprehensible.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

While too bland and stupid to be offensive, Never Back Down spouts a hollow message of nonviolence while celebrating the brutal satisfaction of beating the crap out of someone.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Sitting through this is groan-inducing enough, but it's spiritually depressing to watch Djimon Hounsou, who deserves better.

The average user rating for this movie is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 79 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ben D. gave it a10:
Karate kid meets fight club, it is by far the best film in the world, it is the best movie made by a living person, no one can touch this film it has gr8 standards.

Andrew K. gave it an8:
What made this movie was the decent acting. Everybody fit their roles perfectly so I'll credit there. I always love me some Djimon Hounsou - he's such a great actor! I rated this movie for what it's worth and I'll admit, I did enjoy it. Made me want to get into MMA haha.

Kyle L. gave it a10:
Best movie i have watched in a while i watched it about 25 times already and i cant stop watching it i vote it a ten and the ppl that say the older ppl that vote wont like it are right cuz they don't like thinks we do were teens we wanan see that sh*t.

Joe T gave it a2:
This is one of those movies that you'll have to scrape your jaw up off the floor after watching. Unbelievable stupidity (dialog referencing 'The Illiad' is downright painful), moral hypocrisy (and I'm a 'Dexter' fan) and more gay subtext than Top Gun (complete with Tom Cruise look-alike) adds up to a downright painful watch.

Lou E. gave it a1:
When I first saw the previews fro this film I said to myself: "What the hell is the teeny-bopper crap?". At first, I had already judged it a terrible film, but then I thought hey, let's give it chance, and boy were my first assumptions rights. This movie is awful, but then again, I'm not brain dead or a a teenager who is easily wowed by fight moves that they obviously copied off of Power Rangers and a bunch of pretty white kids (That's what MTV and the CW are for and still all crap all the same). It's a blatant hypocrite "Violence is not the answer." Oh please, Mr. Director, get your head out of your ass! And the worst part is it's got he guy from Blood Diamond, really?! What are you thinkin Djimon?! I know, this movie is for teenagers, but even for them, at this era of time, this is trash, but the music is fine, the only reason i didn't stuff hot nacho cheese in my ears and gouge my eyes out with twizzlers. To anyone who like it: REALLY?!

George M gave it a2:
This is a horrible movie, no doubt.....bad acting, filmed horribly, and its a cookie-cutter twin of "The Karate Kid", a film thats far superior and ultimately way more inspiring than this crap. The fights (which is what this movie was riding on) aren't even that interesting to watch and im a avid fan of the UFC and MMA, the fights were VERY poorly choreographed and while they seemed brutal, its nothing some slow-mo "foot to face" contact and bone crushing sound effects can't sugar coat. My advice, skip this UFC+The Karate Kid+The O.C.=C.R.A.P. movie and just go rent or buy "The Karate Kid", its probably cheap than "Never Back Down" and its a WAY better film.

Steven K. gave it a10:
Great movie. Even with the low profile actors, it still came out better than most of those "Hollywood epics" the dumb critics rave about. Would recommend to all action movie lovers.

Never Back Down Summit Entertainment

Never Back Down
Summit Entertainment