Starring Sean Faris, Djimon Hounsou. Written by Chris Hauty. Directed by Jeff Wadlow. (STC) 110 min. Opens March 14.
Finally, a movie that backs up my contention that The Hills would be immeasurably improved if Lauren Conrad got into ultimate fighting. A formulaic but engaging youthsploitation movie that trades the dark, dank settings of Fight Club for sunny Florida, Never Back Down is the story of a buff high schooler who learns to handle his anger issues when he finds a Mr. Miyagi in John Roqua (Djimon Hounsou), a mixed martial arts guru who — as one excited student says — “trained with the Gracies,” a.k.a. the royal family of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Naturally, with great power comes great responsibility, and Roqua doesn’t want to see Jake (Sean Faris) use his new skills on Ryan (Cam Gigandet), the pretty-boy nemesis who rules over both Jake’s high school and the local clandestine fighting competition. In any case, we know we’re in for plenty o’ training montages and bone-crunching brawls.
Director Jeff Wadlow is savvy enough to incorporate the YouTube-bound footage that Jake’s classmates eagerly collect at every match-up. Indeed, Never Back Down owes as much to the craze for internet broadcasts of backyard beat downs as it does to any action-flick precedents. Though Never Back Down’s blend of teen melodrama and slickly packaged violence can make for queasy viewing, the charismatic cast, strong fight choreography and smarter-than-necessary script give the movie a competitive edge. If only Lauren would take note.