The Lionsgate release of Hector Echavarria’s NEVER SURRENDER is a simple, quality DVD package of a not-so-great action-porno. Echavarria is the star but is no where pictured on the cover, front or back. Instead, several MMA fighters featured in the film are highlighted. Even his name didn’t appear on the original box art sent out to promote the release, although it was squeezed onto the final printing. Echavarria, a champion kickboxer and veteran actor, is supposedly well known in his native Argentina but is virtually unknown in the U.S. so it’s not a surprise that the distributor chose to play up the MMA stars instead even though their roles are small. It’s still a slap in the face though. It it his movie, bad as it is.
I barely touched on this in my review of the movie but in watching the bonus material, it made me realize that these talented UFC stars are being completely wasted in a movie like this. I hope a few of them are smart enough to move on to more respectable projects in the future if they intend to pursue a career in acting. They already have fans and physicality. With proper coaching some of these guys could be decent action stars.
Behind the Scenes of NEVER SURRENDER (17 minutes) - Standard featurette with behind-the-scenes footage and comments from cast and crew. Thankfully, the maker chose not to go behind the scenes of the film’s many porn-like sex scenes.
Anatomy of a Fight (15 minutes) - It’s always nice to see how fights were constructed, even in lesser movies. One thing to note here is that screen fighters were swinging very wide intentionally so as not to hurt each other. Choice camera angles and cutting did cover their tracks but much of the high-impact nature of better screen fighting is lost when fighters are unable to make contact without holding back their power and coordinating their actions with their opponents tightly like dancers. I’m also seeing a lack of creativity in set use and choice of moves. Real fighting is rarely creative but screen fighting needs to be in order to be entertaining.
NEVER SURRENDER Music Video “Adrenaline” featuring 12 Stones (3 minutes) - 12 Stones is the band that also provided theme music for NEVER BACK DOWN so they seem to be cornering the market on MMA movie power ballads. I’m not a fan of their musical style but their tunes are catchy and well matched with the current trends in MMA filmmaking that targets teens.
Trailers - Trailers for NEVER SURRENDER, CRANK 2: HIGH VOLTAGE, THE SPIRIT, THE GENE GENERATION, BLED, and FIST OF THE WARRIOR.
Format: Region 1 NTSC DVD
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: English 2.0
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Length: 88 minutes
Release Date: 2008.04.28
Related Topics:
DVD • Lionsgate • Never Surrender (2009)
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