by Ed Travis
Never Back Down: No Surrender: Never Stop Never Stopping
But in all seriousness, I love Michael Jai White; and this third entry in the redundantly titled fight film franchise is the best that I’ve seen (meaning the better of the two White entries). White’s presence was my inroad to the franchise, and based on the trailer for the first film I stand by my disinterest in it. Sold as an EXTREME version of The Karate Kid set in some kind of high school underground MMA ring, Djimon Honsou and Amber Heard support a cast of douchey looking white kids duking it out. The mall metal accompanying the trailer kind of says it all. With the second film, White took over directing duties and starred in the film. Even so, his Case Walker character took a bit of a backseat as a trainer with a troubled legal history. He’s a bit of a homeless Mr. Miyagi, and the legal troubles are not his fault. He’s a noble warrior type who trains and coaches another cast beefy whiper snappers to victory. I don’t remember a lot of the specifics of that film, but the addition of real world MMA fighters to the cast was probably the sales pitch for the film, and it hamstrung the acting. There also seems to have been an adherence to the structure of the original film which held it back quite a bit.
With Never Back Down 3, White not only returns to the director’s chair, but also serves as a writer alongside Chris Hauty, who also penned the previous two. As writer/director/star/unbelievable physical specimen, Michael Jai White further cements his bona fides and really treads a path very few get to walk. That may sound like hyperbole when talking about a DTV martial arts film, but I’m prone to shining a light on this underappreciated niche of cinema. By abandoning a lot of the structure of the previous films and simply tacking on the Never Back Down franchise name, White is given an opportunity to display some of the themes and philosophies that really make him tick as a person. This is a noble warrior kind of film. A cinematic fantasy that is equal parts wholesome and brutal, captured on a minimal budget, but with the eye of a talented fight choreographer and cinematographer. The film follows all the conventions of a typical fight film, but those very elements become convention because of how satisfying they can be when done right.
And Never Back Down 3 is nothing if not hugely satisfying. The fights are well captured and tend to further the narrative effectively as well as earn their keep as the reason you likely bought a ticket. But again, despite hewing closely to the format of the classic fight film, White brings some sincerely compelling character work to the table and even allows some of his own worldviews and priorities to make their way into the tale. There’s a bit of an anti-doping message worked into the film in an effective way. And Walker’s discomfort with the world of dating frankly adds an unexpected layer of cuteness as he attempts to woo PR rep Myca Cruz (Gillian White, who I just learned is White’s real life wife, cranking the cuteness factor up way beyond what most DTV fight films could ever hope for).
While I’m at it, I’d just like to add that it’s wonderful to see an onscreen hero like Case Walker, an African American man who is the best at what he does, who teaches others, who is humble and honest. He’s the archetypal wandering hero brought to life by a proudly Black man, which is not something to take lightly in today’s cinematic landscape where talent of color work so hard to get the roles they so rightly deserve and which so often go to white males. Walker is the kind of hero Bruce Lee would have been proud to see on screen. A good and loyal friend to his co-lead Brody James (Josh Barnett), a famous fighter who is in the Rocky IV excess stage of his fighting career, Case brings the discipline and loyalty James desperately needs. Helping train James for a title fight with Caesar Braga (fight film giant Nathan Jones aka Mad Max: Fury Road’s Rictus Erectus) brings them around the globe to Thailand, which adds a production value to the film and also likely helped keep the budget low as well.
When living by his code backs Walker into a corner, watching him fight his way out provides an enormously satisfying conclusion. The fact that White himself has proven to be much like his on screen character is equally potent. This is a hard working Hollywood talent whose budgets may be low, but who gives this film everything he’s got and succeeds on every level.
I don’t mean to conflate the situation. There’s some janky editing going on here, plenty of flat performances, and lots of the shortcomings that mini-budget films frequently suffer from. But if you’re a fan of fight films and low budget action movies, these are elements you’ve learned to live with and may even have come to expect. Such is the market right now. What White is able to do is take all those limits and restrictions into account and then cast them aside and make the best and most entertaining movie possible with the resources he has. This kind of talent and ethic should be rewarded on any budget scale. And the fact that White himself is a total package of on screen charisma, incredible martial arts talent, and a competent and capable director and writer, make him an indispensable presence in the modern action movie landscape.
The Package
This is a bare bones release all the way. While Sony Pictures Home Entertainment are releasing the film on home video, they didn’t go for the Blu-ray format here. With zero bonus features and no high definition, it’s somewhat hard to recommend this otherwise wholeheartedly recommended title as a physical media purchase. My guess is that this is a sign of the future, as a high definition digital version is available for purchase on Amazon (and likely wherever you “digital people” buy your movies these days).
So check this movie out if you’re a fan of these types of things. I watch more than my fair share of low budget action exactly for the moments of discovery like this one. There’s an unfettered joy to finding such rich entertainment in such a fringe arena as DTV action cinema. If you’ve ever felt that kind of thing the way I do, buy this movie digitally in HD right now and have a great night at the movies. Just maybe skip the DVD.
And I’m Out.
Never Back Down: No Surrender debuted June 7th and is now available on DVD and Digital HD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment