Never Back Down Review, by Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter

Attractive young actors and kick-ass fight scenes would seem to guarantee an audience of teens, and "Never Back Down" has been shrewdly engineered to tap into that hungry market. Although the movie set in the hot new arena of mixed martial arts is a bit short on star power, it's energetic and warm-hearted enough to become a word-of-mouth hit.

The story of a misfit maturing under the guidance of a wise martial arts instructor might stir memories (at least for older viewers) of a hit from 1984, "The Karate Kid." The new film's counterpart to Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi is Djimon Hounsou's Jean Roqua, the taciturn guru who has a profound influence on the alienated young hero, Jake Tyler (Sean Faris).

Jake has not recovered from the accidental death of his father and has been prone to outbursts of anger and violence. Along with his mother and younger brother, Jake has recently moved from Iowa to Florida, and the pressures of being the new kid on the block only add to the resentment that he harbors.

When Jake is goaded into fighting the school bully, Ryan (Cam Gigandet), and is badly beaten, he decides to train with Jean to learn discipline as well as boxing skills. At first he just wants to become a more savage fighting machine, but he eventually learns life lessons that help to calm his demons.

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