![]() ![]() While details of his past are kept more in the background, the film makes clear that his main goal is simply to start his life over, his efforts regularly exploited by some racist cops. Case's own history is also a central pillar to the film as both a one-time rising star in the MMA world and a former prisoner trying to follow the rules of his parole. The returning Evan Peters sets up connective tissue with the first movie as the always energetic Max, while the film fully invests the viewer in the each of the four main students' stories. The Beatdown focuses on four young men, respectively portrayed by Dean Geyer, Alexa Meraz, and real-life MMA fighters Todd Duffee and Scott Epstein (their fellow MMA fighter Lyoto Machida also drops in for a cameo), training under the tutelage of former MMA champ Case Walker, played by White, who also made his directorial debut with the film. In the '90s, "straight-to-video sequel" might've been a term synonymous with "kiss of death." By 2011 however, at least when it comes to action movies, such a transition had begun to look more like an upgrade, and Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown, the directorial debut of martial arts movie veteran Michael Jai White, is certainly a shining example of that. While lacking the rock music-filled training montages and paced with fewer action scenes for its first two-thirds, Revolt also has a fitting sinister feel in its descent into the dark underbelly of the underground fighting world. Revolt feels at once the same and different from its three predecessors. As the most standalone entry in the Never Back Down series, Revolt does a good job of setting the stakes high as it ventures into a story akin to the Bloodsport underground tournament franchise, especially on its low budget and the pandemic era-challenges director Kellie Madison had to coordinate the film through. Unfortunately, Anya discovers on her arrival that it’s actually an underground competition where young women are kidnapped and forced to fight for betting millionaires. Anya’s own fighting skill impresses fight promoter Mariah (Brooke Johnston), and earns her a spot in a tournament in Rome with the promise of wiping the debt clean. After aspiring MMA fighter Aslan (Tommy Bastow) refuses to throw a fight, he puts himself and his sister Anya (Olivia Popica) in hot water and deep debt. The fights look good enough but they don’t have the power or pacing you get from a cast with a background in action films and stunt work, and Never Back Down: Revolt seems to have been cast more on the basis of looks than fighting skills.With Never Back Down: Revolt, the Never Back Down franchise follows the trajectory of the Best of the Best series, stepping into darker and deadlier territory with its fourth chapter. “Unfortunately, there’s only so much you can do with a cast that doesn’t have the right background for this kind of film. In all, Revolt is like no other installment of the series.” Screen Rant Furthermore, the kidnapped competitors are all women, also entirely new for the series (with Jeeja Yanin being the franchise’s only previous female fighter of note in Never Back Down: No Surrender). “The premise adds another layer of danger and suspense to the fights - especially since the fighters aren’t there by choice. What’s also different about this film is the fact it feels, at times, like a ‘women in prison’ film rather than a fight flick.” Nerdly ![]() Only there’s not as much fighting, unfortunately. Exactly like the first two Never Back Down movies. “You could say this is an in-name only sequel It’s a film about underground MMA fighting, with people forced to fight against their will. ![]()
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