Never Back Down

An abhorrent collision of "The Karate Kid," "Fight Club" and Kenny Rogers, this teenage mixed martial arts thriller spouts a hollow message of nonviolence while celebrating the brutal satisfaction of beating the crap out of someone. Sometimes you have to fight to be a man, goes the message, even if it's teenage fight club, where the high school kids stage their own "totally sanctioned brawls" for the pleasure of watching fellow students get beat down with punishing brutality. Into this savage social order wanders Jake Tyler (Sean Faris), a hot-tempered kid who lands in the sights of swaggering school bully Ryan (Cam Gigandet). It's too bland and stupid to be offensive, but its glorification of teenage brutality in the name of pride and self-respect is almost criminally irresponsible. Amber Heard and Djimon Hounsou co-star. Features commentary by the cast and crew, and 14 minutes of deleted scenes. The "Two-Disc Special Edition" and Blu-ray releases also feature an extended, unrated version (with even more brutality), and featurettes on the fight training and choreography. The Blu-ray edition also features an "Alternate Angle Fight Mode."