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The first movie was one of those flicks that I half-heartedly watched in the background when it was on TV but it was basically a high school exploitation movie about teenage kids getting into unrealistically violent street fights with overly slick camerawork. Although the screenplay’s main focus is on White’s students and the ups and downs of their personal lives, the heart of the film is definitely White’s teacher character.įunnily enough, most of Michael Jai White’s dramatic scenes are played against Evan Peters, who as far as I know is the only returning character from “Never Back Down” but you’re more likely to recognize him as one of the comic book geek friends in “Kick-Ass.” Comparing “The Beatdown” to the original, they’re entirely different entities. There’s a scene White filmed in close-up where he talks about his past and how Hurricane Katrina affected his family, and it’s the kind of authentic-feeling, emotionally-charged moment that White is rarely allowed to deliver. This isn’t empty hype: “The Beatdown” is my favorite performance yet from White, who proves there’s more sides to him as an actor than we’ve previously witnessed. I wouldn’t say he’s more ‘laid back’ in “The Beatdown” but in his role as a teacher to four college-age Mixed Martial Arts students he gets to be a shit-talker, a mentor, a fighter, a father figure, and just an all around more relateable human being. In “Black Dynamite,” he was basically poking fun at his own tough guy image in “Blood and Bone” he was a stoic warrior who carefully chose each word. And what I love about “Never Back Down 2” is that Michael Jai White gets to play the kind of character we don’t normally see from him. Hey, it’s worked for guys like Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood. Sometimes they say if you truly want a meaty, dramatic role, you’ve got to make the movie yourself. For fans of Michael Jai White, “Never Back Down 2” is a must see.Īs a director, White makes a confident debut behind the camera.
#Never back down 2 the beatdown series
2009 was a great year for White: the blaxpoitation riff “ Black Dynamite” became an instant cult hit while action fans were treated to his best fight scenes yet in “ Blood and Bone.” After a brief detour into the land of Tyler Perry, Michael Jai White has carried his genre movie momentum into this year with a starring role in the “ Mortal Kombat: Legacy” web series and the film that might just be the culmination of all his hard work, his directorial debut “Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown.” Sony is rather unceremoniously releasing the film on Unrated DVD this September 13 but don’t let the lack of fanfare dissuade you. Michael Jai White’s been paying his dues in the movie industry for awhile now – he donned the billowy red cape of the titular hero in 1997’s “Spawn” and spin-kicked Jean Claude Van Damme’s ass through several sheets of glass in “Universal Soldier: The Return” (1999) – but it seems like the talented actor and martial artist is finally about to achieve the stardom he deserves.
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“Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown” DVD CoverĬast: Michael Jai White, Evan Peters, Alex Meraz, Dean Geyer, Todd Duffee, Scott Epstein, Jillian Murray, Lyoto Machida, Eddie Bravo, John McCarthy