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Never Back Down Review Essay

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Never Back Down Review

A) Event Synopsis and Theme
1. The film opens in the middle of a high-school football game, with Jake Tyler helping his team to win. Frustrated, one of the players from the opposing team taunts him about the death of his father from drunk driving. Known for his hot temper, Jake immediately begins a brawl with the opposing player. The brawl is captured on the crowd's mobile phones and personal video cameras, and soon is downloaded to the internet.
This is in fact the last game Jake will play at this high school as he and his family is moving to Orlando, Florida. His younger brother, Charlie (Wyatt Smith), has received a tennis scholarship at a school there. His mother (Leslie Hope) is upset that Jake often seems …show more content…

He then kisses Baja in front of him to let him know that she is his girlfriend. Knowing that he was apparently set up for a fight, Jake attempts to leave, but when Ryan taunts him about the death of his father, Jake accepts the challenge. He loses badly, Ryan brutally beating him. Baja appears disgusted at Ryan as a result of the fight.
The day after, Max comes to Jake's house, and again pleads with him to learn from his teacher, a Mixed Martial Arts fighter Jean Roqua (Djimon Hounsou). Jake goes to Roqua's gym and meets Max there. Roqua, sensing that Jake isn't there for the right reasons, allows Jake to train with him, in class and personally before classes, on the condition that he does not fight outside the gym. Jake notices that Roqua apparently lives in the gym.
Baja also comes by Jake, apologizing for setting him up for a fight, but she also points out he wanted that fight, he just didn't want to lose." Jake does not accept the apology. Later, Baja tells Ryan their relationship is over as he is only happy when he's hurting people. Ryan grabs her, but Jake intervenes. To save face, Ryan again taunts Jake about his father. Later, back in the gym, Roqua sees that Jake is too angry to be training. He tells Jake to go home and cool off, and Jake replies, "At least I have a home". On the ride back home in Max's car, angry images flash through Jake's mind, and we see how his father died: one night, after drinking too much, Jake's

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