Never Back Down (2008)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Jeff Wadlow

Writer (WGA):

Chris Hauty (written by)

Release Date:

14 March 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Win or Lose... Everyone Has Their Fight

Plot:

At his new high school, a rebellious teen is lured into an underground fight club, where he finds a mentor in a mixed martial arts veteran.

Plot Keywords:

Fight | Mixed Martial Arts | Teen | Club | High School

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Sean Faris	...	Jake Tyler
Amber Heard	...	Baja Miller
Cam Gigandet	...	Ryan McCarthy
Evan Peters	...	Max Cooperman
Leslie Hope	...	Margot Tyler
Djimon Hounsou	...	Jean Roqua
Wyatt Smith	...	Charlie Tyler
Affion Crockett	...	Beatdown DJ
Neil Brown Jr.	...	Aaron
Lauren Leech	...	Jenny
Tilky Jones	...	Eric
Steven Crowley	...	Ben
Tom Nowicki	...	Mr. Lloyd
David Zelon	...	Ryan's Dad
Chris Lindsay	...	Beat Down Referee
Kyle Sabihy	...	Jake's Teammate
Patric Knutsson	...	Vocabulary Guy
Cameron Francis	...	ER Doctor
Jeremy Palko	...	Running Back (as Jeremy Palkowetz)
Antony Matos	...	Yellow Hummer Crew
Daniel Hernandez	...	Yellow Hummer Crew (as Danny Hernandez)
Justin A. Williams	...	Yellow Hummer Crew
Jon McIntosh	...	Beat Down Computer Kid
Chele André	...	Max's Girl (as Chele Andre)
David J. Perez	...	Miles Dupree
Jocelyn Binder	...	Hot Tub Chick #1
Deon Stein	...	Hot Tub Chick #2
Steve Zurk	...	Jake's Dad
Reed Baumgarten	...	Mansion Fighter #1
Devin Higgins	...	Mansion Fighter #2
Jennifer L. Miller	...	Female Mansion Fighter #1 (as Jennifer Miller)
Delphine French	...	Female Mansion Fighter #2
Joe Williams	...	Latino Mansion Fighter
Angel Hernandez	...	African American Fighter
Rachael Thompson	...	Ex-Girlfriend Mansion Fighter
Ryan Frank Rayonec	...	Ex-Boyfriend Mansion Fighter
Ryan Watson	...	Mintz
Joop Katana	...	Camin
Frank Santore III	...	Taylor
Joseph Cortez	...	Lopez
Craig Raboteau	...	Nyah
Daniel Lovette	...	Himoff
Tony Fuh	...	Stackwell
Jonathan Eusebio	...	Dak Ho
Peter Allende	...	Villa
Remington Reed	...	Kline
Josh Mueller	...	Last Year's Opponent (as Joshua Mueller)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Shawn Aarons	...	Wide Receiver
Marc Carasello	...	Fight Spectator
Kei Leong	...	Beatdown Spectator
Kristin Mellian	...	Points Keeper
Tom Myers	...	Loading Dock Worker
David W. Scott	...	Loading Dock Worker
Ilya Jonathan Zaydenberg	...	Guy with wakeboard
Chris Adler	...	Combat Club Fighter (uncredited)
Robie Alan	...	Cup Boy (uncredited)
Shawn Banks	...	Beefy Door Guy (uncredited)
Colin Bowman	...	Loading Dock Worker (uncredited)
Michael Brzeski	...	Student with backpack (uncredited)
Nancy Bush	...	Fight Spectator (uncredited)
Chris Byrne	...	Fight Spectator (uncredited)
Chris Cavallaro	...	Fisherman (uncredited)
Ricky Dunlop	...	Student (uncredited)
Jen Halbert	...	Spectator (uncredited)
David How	...	Dockworker (uncredited)
Leonard Iacono	...	Football spectator (uncredited)
Bjorn Jiskoot Jr.	...	Student (uncredited)
Jesse Kozel	...	Fight Spectator (uncredited)
Nathena Lewis	...	Fight Spectator (uncredited)
Douglas Lopez	...	Fight Spectator (uncredited)
John Archer Lundgren	...	Hospital patient (uncredited)
Eric Mentis	...	Guy at Party / Guy at Coffee Shop (uncredited)
Levon Mergian	...	Crowd (uncredited)
Freddie T. Mitchell	...	Fight Club Spectator (uncredited)
Tony Morales	...	Market patron (uncredited)
Jennifer Paige Moralez	...	Party girl (uncredited)
Craig Myers	...	Fight Spectator (uncredited)
Kristin Popelka	...	Girl in crowd (uncredited)
Aaron Pushkar	...	Fight Club Instigator (uncredited)
Summer Raine	...	Fight Spectator (uncredited)
Danny Rawley	...	Tennis Player (uncredited)
Christian Roberts	...	Ryan's Friend (uncredited)
Michael Rummel	...	Hornets Head Coach (uncredited)
AJ Semiday	...	High School Kid / Beer Chugger (uncredited)
Mason Sharrow	...	Wake Boarder (uncredited)
Milissa Skoro	...	Baja's friend (uncredited)
Chris Tharp	...	Fight sepectator (uncredited)
Kara Turner	...	Girl at Coffee Shop (uncredited)
Andy Ussach	...	Man at Coffee Shop (uncredited)
Aries Marvin Uzzle	...	Student / Athletic Guy (uncredited)
Marnie Van der Burgt	...	Tennis Spectator (uncredited)
Wolfgang J. Weber	...	Club Fighter (uncredited)
Stacy Westbrook	...	Bikini Babe (uncredited)

Directed by
Jeff Wadlow

Writing credits (WGA)
Chris Hauty		(written by)

Produced by
Bill Bannerman	....	co-producer
Craig Baumgarten	....	producer
David Zelon	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael Wandmacher

Cinematography by
Lukas Ettlin		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Victor Du Bois		(as Victor Dubois)
Debra Weinfeld

Casting by
Sarah Finn		(as Sarah Halley Finn)
Randi Hiller

Production Design by
Ida Random

Art Direction by
Andrew White

Set Decoration by
Scott Jacobson

Costume Design by
Judy L. Ruskin		(as Judy Ruskin Howell)

Makeup Department
Lee Grimes	....	makeup artist
Jane Hassinger	....	key hair stylist
Diane Maurno	....	key makeup artist
Matthew Perry	....	hair stylist
Deborah Brozovich	....	assistant hair stylist (uncredited)
Nancy Cummings	....	additional makeup artist (uncredited)
Linda Schonning	....	additional hair stylist: crowd (uncredited)

Production Management
Bill Bannerman	....	unit production manager
Suzanne Lore	....	production supervisor
Michael Tinger	....	post-production supervisor
Karen Jarnecke	....	production supervisor: re-shoots (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Meaghan F. McLaughlin	....	second second assistant director
Barbara M. Ravis	....	second assistant director (as Barbara Ravis)
John R. Woodward	....	first assistant director (as John Woodward)

Art Department
John Balling	....	charge scenic
Joan Bernier	....	scenic artist (as Joan T. Bernier)
Rex Christensen	....	on-set dresser
Norman Delaney	....	set dresser
Gary Dunham	....	set dresser
Rod England	....	leadperson
James Harris	....	construction coordinator
Tom Ivanjack	....	stand-by painter
Richard E. Kruder	....	key set dresser
Brian Latimer	....	graphic designer
Shawn W. Logue	....	assistant property master
Jon McIntosh	....	computer graphics
Greyson Miller	....	set dresser
Deborah Palmer	....	set designer
Jack Reeves	....	lead scenic artist
Nicholas J. Romanac	....	property master
Kevin Weber	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Thomas E. Allen	....	sound mixer (as Thomas E. Allen Sr.)
Tommy Allen	....	cable puller (as Tom Allen Jr.)
Robert Althoff	....	sound re-recordist
Julie Altus	....	adr recordist
Paul Aronoff	....	adr mixer (as Paul Aranoff)
Christopher Assells	....	sound editor (as Chris Assels)
Ron Bedrosian	....	adr mixer
Gray Bender	....	teen voice consultant
Lon Bender	....	sound designer
Lon Bender	....	sound supervisor
Onnalee Blank	....	sound editor
John Cannon	....	assistant sound editor
Julio Carmona	....	adr recordist
Marc Fishman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Nerses Gezalyan	....	foley mixer
Nerses Gezalyan	....	sound mixer
Glynna Grimala	....	adr supervisor
Laura R. Harris	....	dialogue editor (as Laura Harris Atkinson)
Dan Hegeman	....	sound editor
Craig S. Jaeger	....	foley supervisor (as Craig Jaeger)
Tony Lamberti	....	sound re-recording mixer
Anna MacKenzie	....	adr editor
Jane McKeever	....	additional audio
James Moriana	....	foley artist (as Jimmy Moriana)
Nancy Nugent	....	adr editor
Mark Ormandy	....	additional audio
Michelle Pazer	....	dialogue editor
Ann Scibelli	....	sound editor
Frederick H. Stahly	....	dialogue editor (as Fred Stahly)
Peter Staubli	....	sound editor
Dean St. John	....	adr mixer
Jon Title	....	sound editor
Gayle Wesley	....	first assistant sound editor
Dan Whiting	....	boom operator
Jeffrey Wilhoit	....	foley artist (as Jeff Wilhoit)
James Wright	....	sound consultant: dolby (as Jim Wright)

Special Effects by
Thomas Kittle	....	special effects foreperson
Bruce E. Merlin	....	special effects foreperson (as Bruce Merlin)
James L. Roberts	....	special effects supervisor (as Jim Roberts)
Skylar Gorrell	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Jared Merlin	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Alexandre Cancado	....	digital compositor: Luma Pictures
Patrick Clancey	....	digital opticals
Daniel Craemer	....	roto/paint artist: Luma Pictures
A. Michael Dobbs	....	roto/paint artist: Luma Pictures (as Michael Dobbs)
Chad Dombrova	....	technical director: lead light & pipeline: Luma Pictures
Jenn Epstein	....	roto/paint artist: Luma Pictures
Mike Gaines	....	visual effects artist: Gaines Images
H Haden Hammond	....	sequence supervisor: Luma Pictures
John R. Hazzard	....	animator: Luma Pictures (as John Hazzard)
Brent Hensarling	....	senior systems administrator: Luma Pictures
Giseon Kim	....	roto/paint artist: Luma Pictures
Erik LaPlant	....	visual effects coordinator: Luma Pictures (as Erick LaPlant)
Vincent Lavares	....	data manager: Laser Pacific
Jason Locke	....	3D tracker: Luma Pictures
Jessica Madsen	....	digital artist
Jessica Madsen	....	roto/paint artist: Luma Pictures
Artin Matousian	....	systems administrator: Luma Pictures
Artin Matousian	....	technical director: Luma Pictures
Juan Melendez	....	visual effects coordinator: Luma Pictures
Glenn Morris	....	visual effects producer: Luma Pictures
Dawrath Phoue	....	roto/paint artist: Luma Pictures
Brett Reyenger	....	3D tracker: Luma Pictures
John Riggs	....	technical director: character: Luma Pictures
Marcos Romero	....	animator: Luma Pictures
Payam Shohadai	....	executive visual effects supervisor: Luma Pictures
Joey Sila	....	digital compositor: Luma Pictures
Jared Simeth	....	digital compositor: Luma Pictures
Thanapoom Siripopungul	....	roto/paint artist: Luma Pictures
James Waterson	....	digital compositor: Luma Pictures
Jimmy Wu	....	matte painter: Luma Pictures
D.R. Farquharson	....	project manager: Efilm (uncredited)

Stunts
Reed Baumgarten	....	stunt double: Evan Peters
David Anthony Buglione	....	stunt performer (as David A. Buglione)
Damon Caro	....	fight choreographer
Damon Caro	....	stunt coordinator
Alan D'Antoni	....	stunt performer
Benjamin Eslahpazir	....	stunt performer (as Benjamin A. Eslahpazir)
Jonathan Eusebio	....	fight choreographer
Jonathan Eusebio	....	stunt coordinator
Mikey Gomez	....	stunt performer
Daniel Hernandez	....	fight choreographer: trainer (as Danny Hernandez)
Devin Higgins	....	stunt performer
Steve Ritzi	....	stunt performer (as Steven Ritzi)
Justin A. Williams	....	fight choreographer: trainer
Jeremy Palko	....	stunt performer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ben Bardin	....	best boy grip
Jason Bing	....	grip
Frank Boone	....	dolly grip
Bill Byers	....	video assist (as Billy Byers)
Gordon Cheatum	....	rigging grip
Brown Cooper	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Dan Cornwall	....	chief lighting technician
Ryan Patrick Dean	....	additional camera loader
Shiloh Eck	....	grip
Eddie Evans	....	key grip
Richard Falk Jr.	....	rigging electric (as Richard Falk)
Andrew Fisher	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Ben Fisher	....	set lighting technician
Chris Fisher	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Sean Fisher	....	grip
Dale Fowler	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Sean P. Gilbert	....	first assistant camera: "c" camera (as Sean Gilbert)
Marvin Haven	....	grip
Bruce Hazen	....	set lighting technician
Joe Humphreys	....	set lighting technician (as Joseph Humphreys)
Gordy Jorian	....	grip
Jacques Jouffret	....	Steadicam operator
Jacques Jouffret	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Stephen Kacmarski Jr.	....	video assistant
Billy Kidd	....	set lighting technician (as Billy Kid)
Nicholas Lazo	....	digital video operator
Mike Licata	....	set lighting technician
Hector Lopez	....	technician: Iconix
Danny Mallory	....	dolly grip
Erica Mckee	....	camera production assistant
Patrick K. Meng	....	key rigging grip (as Patrick Meng)
Ryan Meng	....	rigging grip
John Muliler	....	rigging electrician (as John E. Mulier)
Todd M. Murphy	....	rigging grip
Christian Murray	....	set lighting technician (as Chris Murray)
Gabe Napolitan	....	additional second assistant camera
John Oliveri	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Gene Page	....	still photographer
Ken Palladino	....	rigging electric
Peter Perez	....	grip
Richard Rammee	....	set lighting technician (as Richard Ramee)
Humberto Recio	....	set lighting technician (as Hemberto Recio)
Bob Scott	....	camera operator: "c" camera
Louis Smith	....	additional second assistant camera
Dave Sonnenberg	....	set lighting technician (as David Sonnenberg)
Scott Stuart	....	best boy rigging electric (as Scotty Stuart)
Shawn Torge	....	set lighting technician
Danny Vanzura	....	loader (as Daniel Vanzura)
Robert Veliky	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Marc Wostak	....	rigging gaffer
Robert Beverlin	....	additional camera operator (uncredited)
Scott Toler Collins	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Erik Curtis	....	additional first assistant camera (uncredited)
Ricky Dunlop	....	mini camera operator (uncredited)
Megan Morris	....	additional film loader (uncredited)
Patrick Redmond	....	crane operator: Super Technocrane (uncredited)

Animation Department
Pimentel A. Raphael	....	animation supervisor (uncredited)

Casting Department
Jennifer Conrader	....	background casting: Background Entertainment
Lucia Davidson	....	background casting assistant
Leigh French	....	voice casting
Tamara Hunter	....	casting associate
Melaine Moreno	....	background casting: Background Entertainment (as Melanie Moreno)
Kimberly Mullen	....	casting: Orlando
Mark Mullen	....	casting: Orlando
Angela Sorenson	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Claudia Combee	....	costumer
Brittney Fei	....	costume production assistant
Risa Garcia	....	set costumer
Mariasoleoad McGrory	....	seamstress
Stephanie Polo	....	key costumer
Candace Rice	....	costumer (as Candice Rice)
Julie S. Siegmund	....	costumer (as Julia Siegmund)
Barnaby Smith	....	costume supervisor
Taylor Smith	....	costume production assistant

Editorial Department
Andrea Berberian	....	post-production assistant
Steve Bowen	....	digital intermediate colorist
Beth Dewey	....	digital intermediate project manager (as Elizabeth Dewey)
Robert Fredericks	....	post-production production assistant: Orlando
Julie Hansen	....	post-production accountant
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Chris Jensen	....	digital intermediate colorist assist
Howard Leder	....	assistant editor
Curtis Lindersmith	....	digital intermediate editor
Jim Passon	....	color timer
Robert E. Phillips	....	assistant digital intermediate producer (as Robert Phillips)
Mathieu Reid	....	color timer (as Matt Reid)
Jesse Wagler	....	editor: opticals
Matthew Walsh	....	post-production coordinator
Craig Wood	....	additional editor

Music Department
Christian Almiron	....	temp music editor
Susie Bench	....	orchestra conductor (as Susie Benchasil)
Susie Bench	....	orchestrator (as Susie Benchasil)
Christine Bergren	....	music legal and clearance
Julianne Jordan	....	music supervisor
Braden Kimball	....	assistant score mixer
Micha Liberman	....	music editor
Samantha Maloney	....	live drums
Alan Meyerson	....	score mixer
Andrew Richards	....	music coordinator
Greg Vines	....	assistant score mixer
Michael Wandmacher	....	orchestrator
Michael Wandmacher	....	score producer
Richard Ziegler	....	temp music editor

Transportation Department
Tony Abruzzese	....	driver (as Anthony Abbruzzese)
Richard Andresen	....	driver
Ralph Astarita	....	driver (as Ralph J. Astarita)
Joseph Bedami	....	driver (as Joseph C. Bedami)
Jackie Lee Belcher	....	driver
Stephen R. Buff	....	driver
Robert E. Byrd	....	driver
Larry Craig	....	driver
Richard F. Diez	....	driver (as Rick 'Chi Chi' Diez)
Daniel Dusch	....	driver
Ralph P. Fernandez	....	driver
Robert T. Glover	....	driver
David Hamilton	....	driver
Craig M. Hofstrand	....	driver
William 'Mac' Maquez	....	driver
Everett McClellan	....	driver (as Evert 'Jack' M'Clellan)
Michael Messina	....	driver (as Michael A. Messina)
Keith Morris	....	driver
Cecilia Palomino	....	driver
Jay Palomino	....	transportation coordinator
Ron Parsell	....	transportation captain
Arthur P. Pendereast	....	driver
Vickie Raynor	....	driver (as Vickie Raynor Robison)
Russell D. Reynolds	....	driver
Cara Sachse	....	driver
Donald Smith	....	driver (as Donald J. Smith)
Timothy Stephens	....	driver
Timothy Stephens	....	honeywagon operator
Steve Valdez	....	driver
William Randy Warbritton	....	transportation co-captain (as Randy Warbritton)
Ron Wilson	....	driver
John Wiser	....	picture car consultant
Dave Zydorski	....	driver (as David Zydorski)

Other crew
Noor Ahmed	....	legal services
Adam Arnali	....	set production assistant
William Batsel	....	set production assistant (as William 'Trey' Batsel)
Lori Burchfield	....	assistant: Mr. Bannerman
Rick Callan	....	location manager
Chelsey Cary	....	office production assistant
Paul Damien	....	assistant craft service
Lida Davidians	....	insurance
Christine DeMartin	....	assistant: Mr. Baumgarten
Joan Devilla	....	payroll accountant (as Joan De Villa)
Kristen Francisco	....	post-production accounting assistant
Carlos Garcia	....	head chef
Jeffery Garcia	....	assistant chef
Laura Gleason	....	clearance
Michael J. Graham	....	set production assistant (as Michael Graham)
Carol Green	....	unit publicist
John A. Hamby	....	insurance (as John Hamby)
Devin Higgins	....	office production assistant
Polly Hobson	....	assistant: Mr. Hounsou
Karen Jarnecke	....	production coordinator
Brenna Kelly	....	production secretary
Leigh Kilton	....	acting coach (as Leigh Kilton Smith)
Nicholas Lazo	....	assistant: Mr. Wadlow
Chris Lee	....	assistant: Mr. Wadlow (as Christopher Lee)
Karl List	....	trainer: strength & weight
Robert Loring Jr.	....	assistant craft service (as Robert Loring)
Karen Manuel	....	set production assistant
Nathan McMahan	....	assistant location manager
Norris McMahan	....	location assistant
Ellen J. Morris	....	assistant production coordinator
Fred Moyse	....	set medic
Israel Najera	....	assistant chef
Erik Paulson	....	technical advisor: MMA
Amir Perets	....	technical advisor
Orion Prout	....	assistant: Mr. Zelon
Tito Raymond	....	trainer: strength & weight
Benjamin R. Reder	....	legal services (as Benjamin Reder)
Lucy Kim Robertson	....	second assistant accountant
M. Ross-Michaels	....	production accountant (as Ross Michaels)
Bruce Schluter	....	title designer
Tara A. Senior	....	legal services (as Tara Senior)
Dominica Sliwa	....	accounting clerk
Robert 'Smitty' Smith	....	craft service
Todd Steiner	....	production financing
Adam Stone	....	assistant: Mr. Zelon
Melinda Taksen	....	script supervisor
Thor Trammell	....	office production assistant
B. Logan Walden	....	location assistant (as Bryan Logan Walden)
Matt Watson	....	location assistant
Kerry Yancheski	....	first assistant accountant
Justin Brown	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Andrew Campbell	....	set production assistant (uncredited)
Andrew Kenneth Gay	....	location scout (uncredited)
Larissa Grudt	....	set production assistant (uncredited)
Patty Harrigan	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Brent Kunze	....	additional set production assistant (uncredited)
Krystian Lagowski	....	set production assistant (uncredited)
Tammy Middleton	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Cassie Richardson	....	location scout (uncredited)
Noah Schnacky	....	photo double: Charlie Tyler-Tennis (uncredited)
Bob 'Smitty' Smith	....	key craft service (uncredited)
Kristin Starns	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Mike Wilson	....	set production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Beau Bauman	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Summit Entertainment (presents)
• Mandalay Independent Pictures
• Baumgarten Management and Productions (BMP)

Distributors

• Summit Entertainment (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Roadshow Entertainment (2008) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Roadshow Entertainment (2008) (New Zealand) (theatrical)
• Momentum Pictures (2008) (UK) (theatrical)
• Inmoa Entertainment (2007) (South Korea) (theatrical)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Seville Pictures (2008) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Shaw Organisation (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• CK Entertainment (2009) (Japan) (DVD)
• EuroVideo (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• HBO Hungary (2009) (Hungary) (TV) (original airing)
• Nordisk Film Theatrical Distribution (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Odeon (2008) (Greece) (all media)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Summit Distribution
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• West Video (2008) (Russia) (all media)

Special Effects

• Luma Pictures (visual effects)
• Gaines Images (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Absolute Rentals  post-production rentals
• Axium Payroll Services  payroll services
• Background Entertainment  background casting
• Blink Entertainment  marketing and promotion
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  remote camera systems
• Christine Bergren Music Consulting  legal services
• Cineworks Digital Studios  HD dailies
• Comerica Entertainment Group  production financing
• DeLuxe Laboratories  color
• EFilm  digital intermediate
• Hanna Brothers Catering  catering
• International Film Guarantors  completion bond
• Kodak  motion picture film
• Marsh Entertainment  insurance
• Marshall/Plumb Research Associates  script research
• MoviePlacement..com  product placement
• PES Payroll  extras payroll services
• Pacific Title  titles
• Panavision  camera equipment provided by
• Paskal Lighting  lighting and grip equipment
• Pictorvision  wescam provided by
• Pivotal Post  Avid HD editing equipment
• Reder & Feig  production legal services
• Remote Control Productions  score mixed at
• Smitty's Craft Service  craft service
• Soundelux  post-production sound services
• Susie Bench Music  music preparation
• Technicolor  camera equipment provided by
• Todd-AO Studios  post-production sound services

Also Known As:

Get Some (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44164) | Ireland:15A | South Korea:12 | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Singapore:PG (edited version) | Norway:15 | Netherlands:12 | Germany:18 | Finland:K-15 | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Iceland:14 (theatrical rating) | France:U (with warning)

Filming Locations:

Clermont, Florida, USA

Company:

Summit Entertainment

Trivia:

Sean Faris gained 15 lbs. of muscle for his role.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Max tells Jake "The Beatdown is tomorrow night," his lips and his words do not match up.

Quotes:

Baja Miller: The only time you're happy is when you're hurting people.
Ryan McCarthy: Oh?
[she turns to walk off and he grabs her arm - hard]
Baja Miller: Ryan, ow. Ryan, stop you're hurting me.
Ryan McCarthy: [stone-faced] And tell me, do I look happy?

Movie Connections:

References Troy (2004)

Soundtrack:

Crank That (Travis Barker Remix)

"The Karate Kid" plus MMA (mixed martial arts); by-the-numbers all the way

Don't tap-out yet!

From reading the title "Never Back Down," you get the impression that what you're about to watch will be something pretty macho and also pretty lame - a bad combination. The claims of this being a remake of "The Karate Kid" plus "Fight Club" and mixed martial arts is not undeserved or inappropriate. What it does aim to be, is a "Karate Kid" for the MTV generation and a generation of kids who may think that MMA is the future of the martial arts.

As a casual fan of mixed martial arts, the gladiator-style spectacle of this sport goes all the way back to the Greeks, with their sport Pankration (which pretty much resembles today's MMA). The idea of cross-training and mixing techniques of different fighting styles gained popularity in the 20th century with Bruce Lee and his theories on Jeet Kune Do (which when translated from Cantonese, means "the way of the intercepting fist"). However, mixed martial arts, as we know it today in the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC), PRIDE and other MMA organizations, gained widespread recognition when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappler Royce Gracie won UFC 1 in 1993. Since then, a revolution has been sparked in the world of full-contact fighting. (On a side, UFC president Dana White considers Bruce Lee the "father of modern mixed martial arts.")

In "Never Back Down," which seeks to promote MMA for the mainstream, Jake Tyler (Sean Faris, who looks remarkably like a young Tom Cruise) is a promising football player who is relocated with his widowed mother and younger brother from their home in Iowa to the posh surroundings of upper-class Orlando, Florida; they opt for a cramped apartment in suburbia away from the surf and bikini-clad babes. Right away, it's established that Jake's a born brawler and has a chip on his shoulder, so right away the filmmakers are attempting to remove themselves from the "Karate Kid" legacy.

Right away, he locks eyes on the pretty blonde Baja Miller (Amber Heard, uh-huh), and she invites new-kid Jake to a party later that night. At this same party, he locks heads with rich-boy Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet), a champion MMA fighter who gets the upper hand on Jake and beats him to a pulp in a no-holds-barred brawl.

All hope is not lost. On his first day of school, Jake had witnessed a fight happening under the bleachers, where an outcast kid named Max (Evan Cooper) was getting his butt kicked by Ryan and his goons. It just so happens that Max is being trained by the legendary MMA champ Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou) and takes him under his wing. So cue the MTV soundtrack and training montage.

In terms of being a simple martial arts movie, "Never Back Down" is nothing new. Plenty of martial arts movies have been made about the bullied good guy who gets his butt kicked, learns to fight from a master, and tests out his newfound skills by getting revenge on his tormentors in the ring. The by-the-numbers script by Chris Hauty pays attention to a few of the details of modern mixed martial arts training, but doesn't really go into any real depth about it, even if some of the harsher stuff is only glossed over for the sake of trying to mainstream it. But I also guess that this Jeff Wadlow-directed vehicle has seen way too many better movies, and it's inherently self-referential toward them.

"Never Back Down," I guess, is a fun way to spend $7.75 (what I spent); at the very least, even if the plot is formulaic, it's still entertaining. The acting, writing and plot are decent, but still, the performances, acting and writing, like everything else, are by-the-numbers. Although we don't really wade grimly through worthless dialogue scenes, we do perk up for the fighting and training sequences. The best thing about these scenes is that they're authentic: what the actors are doing is so "real" you "believe" it. As brutal as they are (even for a "PG-13"-rated movie), they're fairly exciting and there isn't a whole bunch of flashy camera cutting that takes away from the intensity of the full-contact punching and kicking. The camera stays put for the most part and isn't moving all over the place. It looks like the actors are really going at it, and it looks like it hurts. So you "believe" it in a way you don't really do for a lot of martial arts movies made in America these days.

And that's what no-holds-barred is all about, right?

6/10