Never Back Down is a 2008 American action film starring Sean Faris, Amber Heard, Cam Gigandet, and Djimon Hounsou. It was theatrically released on March 14, 2008. The film’s respective tagline/slogan is “Win or lose… Everyone has their fight.”
The film is rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving intense sequences of fighting/violence, some sexuality, partying, and language-all involving teens.
Plot
Jake Tyler (Sean Faris) has recently moved to Orlando, Florida with his family to support his younger brother’s shot at a professional tennis career. Jake was a star athlete on the football team at home, but in this new city he is an outsider with a reputation for being a quick tempered brawler after a video of him on the Internet starting a fight in a football game, because one of his opponents made a rash comment about Jake’s dead father, circulates around his new school.
Making an attempt to fit in, at the invitation of a flirtatious classmate, Baja Miller (Amber Heard), Jake goes to a party where he is unwittingly pulled into a fight with the fighting champion at the school, Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet). Originally, Jake does not wish to fight until Ryan taunts him about his father who died while driving drunk with Jake in the car. Jake is easily defeated and humiliated in the fight, but a classmate, Max (Evan Peters), who later becomes one of his best friends introduces himself to Jake and tells him about the sport known as Mixed Martial Arts. He sees a star in Jake and asks that he meet with his mentor, Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou). It is immediately apparent to Jake that MMA is not street fighting, but rather an art form he wants to master. Roqua agrees to take Jake as a pupil, but under the condition of Jake being unable to fight outside of the gym which Jake agrees to, though knowing he wishes to confront Ryan anyway. Baja attempts to apologize to Jake, but he does not sympathize with her and refuses to forgive her. Baja then confronts Ryan about the fight with Jake and then proceeds to end their relationship. Ryan begins to create a scene before the entire school but Jake steps in to defend Baja. After Ryan insults him and leaves, Jake attends training with Roqua while still angry about the incident. Roqua makes Jake leave to “cool off”.
Afterwards, he and Max leave the gym they get into a brawl with a group of guys in a Hummer whom Jake easily disposes of while Max films. This video again circulates around the school raising Jake’s social status but in the process only annoying Ryan. Ryan then proceeds to challenge Jake to compete in the Beatdown, an underground fighting tournament of which Ryan is the reigning champion. After having been banished from the gym by Roqua after his fight is discovered, Jake begs for forgiveness saying his anger is quelled when he is training with Roqua. After Roqua agrees to allow him to train again Jake then prepares to compete in the Beatdown. Jake then apologizes to Baja for not listening when she first apologized and the two proceed to begin a relationship. While training with Roqua Jake inquires why he lives in the gym. Jake discovers that Roqua is from Brazil and he is in exile because he believes he is the reason his brother, the favorite son, was killed and his father had disowned him for this.
After being informed that Jake has decided not to compete in the Beatdown, Ryan invites Max to hang out at his house. There he begins to spar with Max before brutally assaulting him and leaving him at Jake’s door. Jake and Baja take Max to the hospital where Jake decides to fight and when Baja begs him not to he states that doing nothing has consequences. Before he goes to tournament he has a brief argument with Roqua about his decision to fight. Roqua eventually assents and tells him to “control the outcome” of the fight. Jake arrives at the location of the tournament where it is about to begin. After a mix-up where Jake and Ryan almost fight in the first round, they both proceed to make their way through each leg. Jake makes it to the semifinals but was injured in the previous match after taking a kick to the ribs. While Jake is recovering after the match, Baja sees him and tells him that she finally understands that Jake is fighting “so he doesn’t have to fight anymore”. After learning that Ryan was disqualified in his semifinal match Jake forfeits seeing no reason to continue. While he and Baja attempt to leave, Ryan confronts him and the two finally fight outside. Jake is still limited by his ribs, and Ryan—at first—gains the upper hand, applying a choke on Jake. However Jake escapes, and, with the entire crowd watching, knocks out Ryan using one of the first combinations Roqua taught him. The next day, Max has been released from the hospital but still has visible injuries on his face, Jake has won the respect of his fellow students and the movie ends with Roqua closing the gym with a ticket to Brazil, signaling his intention to reconcile with his father.
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