I did not care for the bullying, especially early on in the movie. However, it served as a catalyst and focal point for the main character who needed to learn some restraint and self-discipline. What better tool to help him do this than the mixed martial arts.The guy who played the mentor role was key in helping his protégé become a more skillful and technically sound fighter.This movie is about deciding upon a specific purpose or goal. It's also ultimately about giving and receiving support, that's if you're lucky enough to find the right people. But first, you must believe in yourself no matter how many roadblocks you face. And most of all, Never Back Down, as the film suggests.

I don't know about the critics but I love this film. the quality of action, and filmography is really great. I also loved the way its story progresses and gradually develop each character. also the dialogs between Jake and his coach is thoughtful. the interesting part of this film is that each moment is enjoyable, not for a single moment I felt that it is going slow. I loved the screenplay and the message that everyone has their own fight, you must carry on the struggle. the final action scene is really awesome and it gives us the message about having peace in the mind. The ultimate message that the film provides us is we can't hide from our problems we need to face those and fight. Finally the ending scene left me with an awe. I love this film. I am really surprised to see this that the film got poor feedback from critics who can praise films like "hunger games" so heart-fully

I would give it a 6 1/2 to a 7. The acting was convincing and i thoroughly enjoyed this movie, Cam Gigadet did an amazing job on playing the bad boy, it seemed really well acted and it wasn't annoying either. Only a few could pull it off. he just has that look about him. I would have liked a better behind story for the bad boy Ryan, and a bit more insight on Amber Heard's character. it seems almost odd how Ryan doesn't mention once that Amber heard character goes with Jake, it doesn't come up once.They should have done a sequel with this exact cast. overall good movie and enjoyed it. I reckon Cam should be more in these types of movies because he is good at acting as these kind of people. If i wrote the script i would have made it just a bit better, the acting was superb though! i do not understand why people always say this movie was not that good, it was well choreographed.

Let's all be honest with each other this is a re-hash of The Karate Kid; OK let's look at it; troubled kid moves from Iowa to Florida, tries to stop a fight and then falls predator to local tough guy Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet). McCarthy beats up the protagonist Jake Tyler (Sean Faris - who has a spooky resemblance to a young Tom Cruise) and thus setting up the plot. Tyler wants to get the better of McCarthy although initially it is merely because he envies his lifestyle and his girlfriend Baja Miller (the unbelievably hot Amber Heard), but as the film progresses, Tyler finds that he not only has to take on McCarthy, but he must also fight his inner demons as well.Anyone who has watched this film and who has seen the Karate Kid will undoubtedly see the similarities; the weedy out of town kid, the necessity to fight for the women that they love (Shue in the Karate Kid and Heard in this film), at this juncture it doesn't particularly make it bad but it's hardly original and it kind of made me think that we've got a 'been there done that' kind of scenario. The romance angle between Tyler and Miller is exactly the same as in The Karate Kid (both protagonists get their asses kicked and then train to overcome their enemies with Mr Miyagi being the trainer in the first film and Jean Roqua in this film (played by the excellent Djimon Hounsou). The whole soppy romance between Miller and Tyler was completely predictable as was the way the film ended- although the way it fooled the audience into believing that McCarthy and Tyler would fight in the ring was moderately surprising it did cheapen the effect somewhat by giving it a Rocky V feel.Where this film succeeds slightly is in the subtext and character development that it offers; we learn that Jake Tyler's father died when he drove back drunk when Jake was in the passenger seat. Jake knew that he could have prevented it and yet in his own words 'did nothing about it'. I think that this explains nearly every scene in this film - the initial involvement in the fight, his tenacity and desire never to give up. I think he was partly doing it to prove himself to his dad, but more importantly to prove to himself that he wasn't gutless which he ultimately shows in the end. This film had some great subtext if you're prepared to look for it, it's just a shame that it's something that we've seen time and time again.One major problem that this film suffers from is that it has a real 'MTV' feel about it. I understand that a 'score' or 'music' can be used to evoke emotion, but in this film it felt like it was just there for no other reason other than to pander for the MTV generation. It was over used, not emotive, not moving.The film's climax is predictable and is something that anyone with an IQ in double figures could have figured out after 5 minutes. The acting was generally OK by everyone (except Cam Gigandet's portrayal of Ryan McCarthy - my god he was awful). Djimon Hounsou gave probably the best performance.Overall, this wasn't a complete waste of time, but it's hardly ground breaking and I thought when it ended that I'd seen it before and much better.