Never Back Down

In Jeff Wadlow’s film the record of a fight matters more than the fight. Jake arrives at his new school already known, because a phone video of a brawl back in Iowa is circulating; he is humiliated when his beating at a party is filmed and posted; and he climbs the social ladder when a road rage scuffle is uploaded. Sean Faris pitched the picture as The Karate Kid for the internet age. Djimon Hounsou, who plays the trainer Jean Roqua, said he wanted something lighter after Blood Diamond and spent three weeks with stunt coordinators learning moves drawn from jiu jitsu, karate and muay thai. The underground tournament, the Beatdown, announces its only three prohibitions up front: nothing to the groin, no eye gouging, no biting. The ending turns on that rule, because Ryan is disqualified in the semifinal for an eye gouge, Jake then withdraws, and the decisive bout happens in the car park rather than in the ring. Faris and Cam Gigandet won Best Fight at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards for it, on a ballot that also held The Bourne Ultimatum and Spider-Man 3. A good fit if you want a plot driven by who is filming each fight and where the clip lands. Not for anyone expecting the climax to be settled inside the tournament.