"Never Back Down" (2008) - Movie Review

“Never Backs Down” comes at the time when Michael Haneke’s “Funny Games US” is out and creating controversies. “Funny Games US” is a shot by shot remake of the original Austrian film made in 1997. The reason I am mentioning is that, the controversial “Funny Games US” is Haneke’s statement towards American cinema feeding and making violence consumable as entertainment. Yes there are certainly films which do that but there are lot other good films which argue otherwise too. Everything has its mix and what Haneke is pinning upon may be on the block buster trend which I might concur. I have not seen either the original or the current one, and have not quite made up my mind yet to watch it. “Never Back Down” tries to analyze and sell violence balancing and falling on the charges of Haneke on American block busters.

It is said as modern Karate Kid with an angry high school kid Jake Tyler (Sean Faris) and the trainer Jean Roqua (Djimon Honsou). Jake thinks he is responsible for his father’s death and with Ryan (Cam Gigandet) the defending champ of the underground fight club instigating him to maintain the dominance over his territory, starts punching time. What I sometimes have trouble understanding is the director’s thinking of putting everything in and making it an obnoxious meal. The film is not obnoxious but shifts in momentum on where exactly it stands. Does it say fighting is unavoidable in a society like this or fighting is an emotional outlet for the anger residing in everyone? It is ironical when Ryan says in his ridiculously luxurious house party that the real deal is not the bikini teenage fantasy of American Pie but the fight matches because the film plays the “manly” version of “American Pie”. It has the girls but instead of comedy and sex, this is rage and violence.

Getting a PG-13 certification means lot less blood than it would actually be and be alive and walking after such a pounding. The kid needs listening and advice. His mother (Leslie Hope) blames Jake in subtle emotions for the death of her husband. There are very good scenes to address that how much anger comforts and gives a hiding place to face the actual problem. I was impressed with the simplistic and non-melodramatic scenes to give that. Director Jeff Wadlow is some one to watch out for in those aspects but trying to make it as a teenage romance in awkward formulaic manner spoils it.

There is a dilemma in the screen on judging the audience. Dealing delicately and sometimes openly on the treatment of violence and fight as an outlet, it takes a step or two back and becomes cautious on how much the audience would expect or want to discuss this. There is maturity and immaturity visible side by side in the film.

I always contemplate on when aggression/violence is a useful non-harming tool or do we breed and consume on it to keep us going physically or mentally throughout the life. The world we are living in is so dangerous than the stone age of wild natures because the rules are not clear out here. In Stone Age, ignorance and survival made them to be what they are or at least that’s what I can guess. In current society, trust issues are predominant and moral values are too high or low to depend on it. Survival is the key too but the knowledge of knowing the existence of stealth and open war on each other confuses us to do easy mistakes. Seeing “Never Back Down” and its underground fighting club questions on the rage each of us have to outlet ourselves. We need films, drinks and sometimes an open match to purge the raw emotion of hate deep inside of us. “Never Back Down” sometimes makes fierce and rage palatable falling on the Haneke’s accuses and sometimes hates it in voices of the trainer and Jake’s mother. If it would have been a cold approach towards it, I would have appreciated it for the constant lingering opinion towards the game of violence but this wants to make money too which confuses on where it stands and what it stands for. It becomes as I said earlier a macho version of “American Pie”.