(3 out of 5 stars)

I liked Never Back Down, but I’m guessing many adults will not go out of their way to see it. It has the training like The Karate Kid and the all out fighting for the reason of fighting of Fight Club. This all takes place in a high school environment with the troubled new kid at school getting attention from the school’s top bully who thinks he is all that.

The movie stars Sean Farris as the new troubled kid and Cam Gigandet as the high school bully, both of whom have impressive resumes but are not in the wider public’s eye. The only well known actor is Djimon Hounsou who plays the trainer to Farris’ troubled kid. It is interesting to see Farris as the Karate Kid character. Instead of wiry and a loser, he is really built and an outsider. Hounsou instead of being the Pat Morita sensei, he is the owner of an underground (sort of) gym that trains others in the art of mixed martial arts. Farris like the Karate Kid wants to just kick his opponent’s ass, but the trainer shows how it is about overcoming his fears and fighting intelligently that will bring about the desired change. All three actors were surprisingly good in the acting department. They were given some in depth characters even if they mirrored what one finds in The Karate Kid.

So, what does this movie have to do with Fight Club? Don’t you know that the first rule of fight club is that you do not talk about fight club? OK, then you understand that in Never Back Down, no one fights for a championship, they fight in underground battles that prove who the best of the best is. Who is the biggest badass? That’s the question that is answered by the ultimate fight in Never Back Down.

Does the movie give us much more than the above? No, but it does not need to. The movie is fine as being today’s version of The Karate Kid. I suppose it shows how impressive that little 80’s movie is, but at least it is not a remake; it is an original story using ideas from the past that is at least fresher than the remakes that are out there.

Similar recommended titles: Karate Kid and Fight Club.