Film Reviews

Never Back Down

• Rating:
• Director: Jeff Wadlow.
• Starring: Sean Faris, Cam Gigandet, Djimon Hounsou, Amber Heard.
• Details: US / 110mins (15).

The sensitive man is dead and gone; it's with Montgomery Clift in the grave. A Karate Kid for the '00s or Fight Club for teens, whichever way you look at Never Back Down, it's a soulless exercise that says two things: violence is the only way to gain respect, and women will always choose a knucklehead to protect them. Hot-headed but kind-hearted Jake Tyler (Faris, the spitting image of a young Tom CruiseChristiano Ronaldo hybrid) moves from Iowa to Orlando where he becomes embroiled in the underground high school fight club, headed up by the charismatic Ryan (Gigandet). After humiliating Jake in front of the whole school, Ryan, never one to back down, joins a mixed martial arts gym run by the legendary Jean Roqua (Hounsou) so he can train for the local fight competition, kick Ryan's ass and win the generic blonde (Heard). Heard isn't the only generic element going on here: we got the abs, the bikinis, the overcoming of the odds to triumph and don't forget the montage. Got to have the montage. It's not all horrible, however. Within the formula, Gigandet plays a decent bad guy, the fight scenes will get the blood pumping and Wyatt Smith (playing Jake's younger brother, Charlie) is a witty kid with a few decent one-liners.

Review by Gavin Burke