![]() Though initially hostile to his new recruits, Case and his students grow closer after a group of racist cops exploit Case’s criminal record as an excuse to boot him out of the vacant lot they train in, which his four students rectify by converting an abandoned warehouse into their own dojo.Īs the group continues to bond and the Beatdown nears, Justin’s skills have grown to the point where he can finally defend himself from the sadistic thugs who attacked him previously. Case has already been training Tim for several months, and he’s recently taken Justin under his wing as well. Max directs Zack and Sean to seek instruction from former MMA rising star Case Walker. ![]() The teacher imparting words of wisdom to the student. Recognizing their passion for fighting, MMA evangelist Max Cooperman recruits Zack and Mike into “The Beatdown”, an MMA tournament previously seen in the original film for which he has since become emcee (in a nice nod to its predecessor, Max’s online streaming preview of the tournament features footage of the original film’s climactic parking lot brawl between Sean Faris and Cam Gigandet). High school wrestling champion Mike Stokes finds himself the subject of constant ridicule even in his new college setting over his estranged father’s extramarital affair with another man.Ĭomic book store clerk Justin Epstein finds himself greeted by a group of local hoodlums at the end of every working day. Up and coming fighter Tim Newhouse is struggling to balance his college life with being his family’s primary wage earner as their home remains on the verge of foreclosure. Zack Gomes has had a prosperous career in amateur boxing, but in a “Rocky”-esque misfortune, learns that he’s suffered a detached retina from his most recent fight. Taking place a few years after the first film left off, the story involves four college freshmen with their own battles to fight. Evan Peters, the lone returning cast member of the first film, re-enters his role of MMA-fanatic Max, and he’s right at home infusing both his fellow characters and the film with the energy and enthusiasm both need. “Twilight” alumni Alex Meraz gets the chance to display his real-life Capoeira skills as Zack, an experienced boxer struggling to work past an eye injury, while Dean Geyer enters the role of seasoned wrestler Mike, and his efforts to penetrate a loose-leaf sheet of paper with his knuckles under Case’s instruction becomes central to his character arc. He is joined in the film by real life MMA fighters Scott Epstein, in the role of unhinged rookie fighter Justin, and Todd Duffee as Tim, the first student Case takes on in the film. White brings his usual calm and cool demeanour to the role, while consistently wowing the viewer with kicking styles that defy what a man his size should be able to execute. TrailerĪlong with making his directorial debut with the film, Michael Jai White leads the pack in “The Beatdown” as Case Walker, an ex-convict and former rising star in the MMA world. But, like the “Undisputed” sequels, “Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown” leapfrogs the so-so quality of its previous incarnation and establishes itself as a solid martial arts action drama, one of the best MMA films ever produced, as well as the rare straight-to-DVD sequel to blow the original film out of the water, pretty much in every way. Neither the best nor the worst MMA film to be produced, it was serviceable, passable, but basically so-so, and certainly not the type of film that would make one think that a sequel was on the way, even a straight-to-DVD sequel omitting the majority of its predecessor’s cast. In 2008, the world saw MMA mixed with run of the mill teen drama in the film “Never Back Down”. The results have been, no pun intended, a mixed bag – for every instant classic the sub genre has produced ( “Flash Point”, “Undisputed II: Last Man Standing”, “Undisputed III: Redemption”) there seems to be at least one mediocre to truly awful film to offset it (“Never Surrender”, “Unrivaled”, “Redbelt”.) The burgeoning popularity of MMA has spilled over into the world of martial arts action movies.
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