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Metascore
22 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghFormulaic and derivative, but sufficiently well made to work as both teen-angst melodrama and bone-rattling brawl picture.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterAlthough the movie set in the hot new arena of mixed martial arts is a bit short on star power, it's energetic and warm-hearted enough to become a word-of-mouth hit.
- 60Village VoiceVillage VoiceA modest surprise: better acted than needed, better made than expected.
- 60VarietyVarietyBest part, though, is the cast: Everyone's a model, everyone beats each other half to death, and no one looks as if they've ever suffered so much as a coldsore.
- 50Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsChicago TribuneMichael PhillipsIt’s a little “Karate Kid,” a smidge of “Fight Club” (with none of the ironic ambivalence toward violence that David Fincher brought to that story), a lot of “The O.C.” (evil boy Gigandet played an evil boy on that series), and presto: probable hit.
- 50The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasDirector Jeff Wadlow and screenwriter Chris Hauty are so committed to following through on the "Karate Kid" formula that they don't care for novelty; it's enough for them just to hit their cues and play up the slo-mo MMA brutality. In the future, movies this derivative will be made by robots.
- 50Chicago ReaderAndrea GronvallChicago ReaderAndrea GronvallJeff Wadlow directed this exploitation flick, which seems designed for students on spring break.
- 30The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe movie speeds up and slows down as though controlled by a director in the grip of competing medications. For those who make it to the final beatdown, however, the only pill worth taking is the one that makes you forget.
- 25Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerSeattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerWhile too bland and stupid to be offensive, Never Back Down spouts a hollow message of nonviolence while celebrating the brutal satisfaction of beating the crap out of someone.
- 20Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonSitting through this is groan-inducing enough, but it's spiritually depressing to watch Djimon Hounsou, who deserves better.