Guest Blogger: Dylan 1

The opening scene for Never Back Down shows the lead character, Jake Tyler, playing a football match in the rain. One of the opposing characters makes a comment about Jake’s recently deceased father, and Jake then starts a fight. This sets the stage for the rest of the movie, and shows that fighting is the central axis for the movie. After the initial fight, Jake and his family move to Florida so that Jake’s younger brother, Charlie, can further his already blossoming career as a young tennis prodigy. When Jake starts at the new school, he butts heads with the best Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter in the area, Ryan McCarthy. Cam Gigandet does an excellent job playing the sly, steely-eyed Ryan McCarthy. They have a conflict over the female lead in the movie, Baja Miller. Jake thinks that Baja is flirting with him, but in reality, Baja lured Jake into a trap which lead to a fight with Ryan, who inevitably won. Unfortunately, Amber Heard, who plays Baja Miller, does a poor job at her “damsel in distress” role. Jeannette Catsoulis hit the nail on the head in her New Your Times article when she said “Enrolled in a high school where social status is determined by the ability to render peers unconscious with your bare hands, Jake finally discovers the therapeutic benefits of breaking faces.” This foreshadows Jake’s upcoming conflicts with Ryan. But first, Jake must learn the MMA style, and replace his archaic boxing style. Jake then goes on to train at the 365 Fight Club with one of the world’s most renowned MMA fighters, Jean Roqua. When Jake first enters the gym, he is a very emotionally-charged teenager who wants nothing more than revenge against those who have harmed him. But through the training at the gym, Jake’s mentality changes, and his goal is to do nothing but protect those who are closest to him. Eventually, the inevitable will occur, and Jake will have one final showdown with Ryan. Throughout the movie, Jake, played by Sean Faris, does an excellent job overcoming many hardships, and does an excellent job acting. The main point to take away from the movie is that through hard work and perseverance will lead to the achievement of one’s goals. Overall, the movie Never Back Down is worth your time and money if you want a very action-packed, emotion-filled flick.