Directed by:
Jeff WadlowScreenplay:
Chris HautyCinematography:
Lukas EttlinComposer:
Michael WandmacherCast:
Sean Faris, Amber Heard, Cam Gigandet, Evan Peters, Leslie Hope, Djimon Hounsou, Bjorn Jiskoot Jr., Wolfgang Weber, Affion Crockett, Tom Nowicki, Rod Grant (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
An outsider teen acclimating to a new school finds a home in a reclusive teenaged fight club in this drama from Cry_Wolf director Jeff Wadlow. Jake Tyler (Sean Faris) has just moved with his family to Orlando, FL. While Jake isn't exactly comfortable being the new kid in town, his younger brother, Charlie (Wyatt Smith), is an aspiring professional tennis star who might just have what it takes to break big. But Charlie isn't the only talented athlete in the family, because Jake used to be something of a hotshot on the gridiron -- at least back home. Here in Orlando, Jake is considered something of a hothead thanks to his penchant for brawling. In an attempt to better fit in with his new classmates, Jake accepts flirtatious classmate Baja's (Amber Heard) invitation to a raucous party. There, the short-fused newcomer is lured into a fight and badly beaten by local bully Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet). But a beam of hope shines through the humiliation when a classmate who sees potential in the defeated fighter informs Jake of a local MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) program run by Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou). Despite Jake's preconceived notions regarding MMA, he quickly discovers that it's not just another form of street fighting but a rich new art form that he longs to master. As Roqua takes Jake under his tutelage, it soon becomes apparent that in order to become a true MMA champion, Jake will have to learn patience, discipline, willingness, and reason. This isn't just a quest for revenge, but an opportunity for Jake to finally find out what kind of man he truly is. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Videos (1)
Reviews (5)
The children of YouTube culture look to the 1980s to fight each other with the intensity of Fight Club, to instead only end up gawking at girls in bikinis and the latest MTV hits. It's "no-brain" entertainment for a long summer evening, with no scene without a cliché and no character without an archetype. I give it 3 ½, which is held back only by the runtime - two hours is a hell of a lot for a film like this.
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I guess I watched the movie at the wrong time or something... I love sports movies, but here I felt more like I was at a failed fashion show in my underwear. I'm probably going to do it again:-)
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Such is the classic film where a boy has some talent, in this case, it's fighting, but he gets beaten up. And then he finds a mentor who turns him into a proper warrior, and the boy himself teaches the mentor something. Of course, the boy ends up getting the girl, this time the annoying Amber Heard, and they all live happily ever after.
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Sometimes one wonders how a “Karate Kid” story, seen a hundred times over, can thrive in modern times, but here it has truly succeeded. Let's overlook all the clichés about the outsider trained by a wise master, who eventually triumph together when the younger one beats up opponents and the older one solves their family problems. It is incredibly obvious, striking to the eye, yet the action is very interesting and captivating in terms of acting thanks to Djimon Hounsou – this man has such incredibly raw, explicit style that takes your breath away. He showed it in Gladiator, in Blood Diamond, and now he proves it again in a minimal space. Mostly because of him, this can be endured, even though the label “no brain” is a given.
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What's the point of a film like this when every motif is so awfully stale and we know exactly how it's going to end the moment we read the synopsis? As a stylish, dynamically edited and motivational video with a good cast, it works more than adequately and we can follow the protagonist, his cruelly sexy girlfriend and ultra-charismatic coach until the end without any major psychological damage, but those who want something more, something beyond the conventional narrative equation, which the script describes with the verve of only a handful of similar stories for spoiled teenagers, will have to go elsewhere. Fortunately, I didn't want much more, and so a slightly overwhelming sense of satisfaction prevailed the moment the handsome, loving and virtuous boy knocked that awful rich c*nt out with a blinding punch. Symbolic, isn’t it? 60%
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