Never Back Down (2008)
Cam Gigandet plays the role of Ryan McCarthy in «Never Back Down,» a film written by Chris Hauty, directed by Jeff Wadlow, and also starring Sean Faris and Amber Heard.
Synopsis
Set against the action-packed world of Mixed Martial Arts, «Never Back Down» is the story of Jake Tyler, a tough kid who leads with his fists, and, often, with his heart. Jake Tyler, played by Sean Faris, is the new kid in town with a troubled past. He has recently moved to Orlando, Florida with his family and Jake was a star athlete on the football team at home, but in this new city he is an outsider with a reputation for being a quick tempered brawler.
Making an attempt to fit in, at the invitation of a flirtatious classmate, Baja (Amber Heard), Jake goes to a party where he is unwittingly pulled into a fight with a bully named Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet). While he is defeated and humiliated in the fight, a classmate introduces himself to Jake and tells him about the sport known as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). He sees a star in Jake and asks that he meet with his mentor, Jean Roqua, played by Djimon Hounsou.
It is immediately apparent to Jake that MMA is not street fighting, but rather an art form he wants to master. Roqua will take Jake under his wing, but it is up to Jake to find the patience, discipline, willingness and reason within him to succeed. For Jake, there is much more at stake than mere victory. His decision will not just settle a score; it will define who he is…
Details
♦ Genre ¦ Action · Drama · Sport
♦ Also Known as ‘Get Some’
♦ Tagline ¦ Win or Lose… Everyone Has Their Fight.
♦ Filming Locations ¦
Clermont, Florida, USA
Los Angeles, California, USA
Mont Verde, Florida, USA
Orlando, Florida, USA
Sanford, Florida, USA
♦ Cast & Credits ¦ IMDB
Ryan McCarthy
Cam Gigandet: «I play Ryan McCarthy — the bad guy of the story. I want to introduce Sean Faris to this underground world of MMA fighting and he doesn’t want to do it, so that leads me to doing whatever it takes, whether it’s good or bad or vicious or violent, to get him to fight because the audience wants that. It’s all over the web and there’s this fame-type of aspect and something that I need if I want to be the best, so I do whatever it takes to get Sean’s character to participate. And he does.»
Training
Cam Gigandet and Sean Faris underwent a rigourous training by coordinators Damon Caro and Jonathan Eusebio. Faris said in an interview that they did about three hours and half of MMA training everyday ! and Gigandet explained that they had to spend a lot of time together, just to choregraph the moves…
Reviews
Variety.com — ‘Faris is fine, but pic has a far more charismatic star in Gigandet, who is gleefully, hatefully sadistic and evil as Jake’s more skilled antagonist.’
Best Fight Award
Cam Gigandet and Sean Faris won the BEST FIGHT award at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards for their performance in «Never Back Down.»
Photos
Trailer
Information
«Never Back Down» on the blog
«Never Back Down» in the press archive
