Never Back Down

"Win or lose... Everyone has their fight."

2008 1h 53m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🥫

21%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 2,568🥫21%Rotten Tomatoes●39Metacritic★6.5IMDB · 108,578

DramaAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Jake, full of anger after his father's death, is just starting to find a place for himself at his new Orlando high school - until Ryan, head of an underground MMA fight club, picks Jake out as a prime opponent. After being trounced by Ryan in front of the entire school, Jake begins training under the firm, moral guidance of a MMA master, where he learns how to fight... and how to avoid a fight. But it becomes obvious that a rematch will be inevitable if Jake wants to stop Ryan and his bullying, once and for all.

“Win or lose... Everyone has their fight.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Sean Faris
Jake Tyler
Amber Heard
Baja Miller
Cam Gigandet
Ryan McCarthy
Djimon Hounsou
Jean Roqua
Evan Peters
Max Cooperman
Leslie Hope
Margot Tyler
Wyatt Smith
Charlie Tyler
Neil Brown Jr.
Aaron

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jeff Wadlow
Writers: Chris Hauty
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Never Back Down Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jeff Wadlow, shot by Lukas Ettlin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Wandmacher. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Debra Weinfeld shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sean Faris and Amber Heard and Cam Gigandet carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Win or lose... Everyone has their fight.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1023111 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jeff Wadlow directs. Lukas Ettlin behind the camera. Michael Wandmacher scores. Debra Weinfeld cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 18 years ago.
2Part of the "Never Back Down Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Jeff Wadlow, shot by Lukas Ettlin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Michael Wandmacher. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Debra Weinfeld shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Sean Faris and Amber Heard and Cam Gigandet carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Win or lose... Everyone has their fight.".
8IMDB entry: tt1023111 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 14 themes, including "high school", "martial arts", "sports", "fight".
10Released under 21 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lukas Ettlin
Original score: Michael Wandmacher
Editing: Debra Weinfeld
Production design: Ida Random
Costume design: Judy L. Ruskin
Makeup / hair: Nancy Cummings
Sound: Lon Bender
Stunt coordinator: Jonathan Eusebio
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $41,627,431
Return: 208% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Never Back Down (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes: 21% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 39/100
IMDB rating: 6.5/10 · 108,578 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

1 win total

Part of

Never Back Down Collection

Never Back Down is a 2008 action film starring Sean Faris, Amber Heard, Cam Gigandet, and Djimon Hounsou. A 2011 sequel entitled Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown was released with Evan Peters reprising his role as Max Cooperman. Directed by Michael Jai White - who makes his directorial debut and also top-bills the cast, the film stars Alex Meraz, Jillian Murray, MMA fighter Scott Epstein and Australian actor-singer Dean Geyer.