![]() ![]() He employs a strategy that involves a little button pushing in addition to trading blows with the champ himself, basically it’s impossible not to find yourself grinning from ear-to-ear when all is said and done! You’ll be letting out an audible “Ahhhh!” when you see how he manages to circumvent Brody’s steroid usage and the last third of the film is like seeing a chess game unfold onscreen.Ĭaesar Braga may have the mind of a Neanderthal (90% of his vocabulary seems to consist of “Murder!” “Death!” “Kill!”), but Case also knows better than to underestimate him and this gives way to what is undoubtedly one of the most satisfying endings you’ll see in a very long time! Without going into spoilers, Case sets out to take Caesar out and bring Hugo Vega’s entire corrupt fighting organization crumblingdown. It’s an understatement to say that Case is a man who thinks ahead and plans for every battle well in advance. In fact, “No Surrender” may already take the crown for the most cerebral MMA flick you’ll see this year. The film tends to come full circle on just about everything, in this way. ![]() His role is very much a cameo playing himself, though it admittedly serves as a punchline on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s appearance in the film in the exact same capacity. ![]() A word to the wise – never step into a ring in Thailand if you’re not interested in eating this many elbows, although none of them are delivered by Tony Jaa. Jeeja Yanin’s somewhat background character has a similar smackdown in the film when she steps into the ring against martial arts-stunt pro BrahimAchabbakhe. A fight sequence that brings the audience into the mind of the combatants is always going to hit the bull’s eye, but it’s not often one does so this literally! The choreography of the scene from the always reliable Larnell Stovall, first presents a black-and-white image of Case executing the movements of one section of his kata, followed by him applying the exact sequence of techniques against his opponent. One of the best scenes in the film has an arrogant fighter in Ramos’ gym who (in addition to insulting him with some borderline racist remarks) scoffs at Case’s practice of traditional karate kata, only to have the tables completely turned on him after inviting Case in the cage for a sparring match. Case is the rare martial arts movie character who spends as much time teaching as he does fighting and it’s not unusual to see him doing both at once. The opening scene of the film sees him achieving victory in his latest fight and then taking his opponent aside to advise him to add some more finesse to his punches while commending his kicking ability (and given that the opponent is martial arts/stuntman veteran Ron Smoorenburg, it’s hard to disagree with that assessment!). That’s just not the kind of dojo Case Walker is running, though. Miyagi’s or your Xian Chow’s then you’ll have mentors in the vein of Master Shifu or Beggar So – their function to the story, first and foremost is in passing on their knowledge and wisdom to an eager disciple. Sure, we’ve seen the wise teacher who will get his hands dirty when the time calls for it as per your Mr. In his portrayal of Case Walker, Michael Jai White may very well have created a character who is truly one of a kind in martial arts films -it’s exceedingly rare to see a mentor character who is this much of an active participant in the main action of the film. Though Case disapproves of the league’s ridiculously lax (and arguably non-existent) policy on testing its fighters for performance enhancing drugs, he agrees to accompany Brody to Thailand to help him train for his upcoming bout against the notoriously vicious Caesar Braga. However, his good friend and fellow MMA fighter Brody James has a match coming up in Thailand under the controversial PFC league. With the film being set in Thailand, some of the local talent also make their way into the film, specifically Jeeja Yanin as a female fighter in Ramos’ gym, and Tony Jaa making a cameo as…Tony Jaa! PlotĪfter “Never Back Down 2”, Case Walker makes a return to the world of professional MMA, though his proclivity to lend advice to his opponents at the end of each fight irks his manager and the promoters too much for him to make it to the top. Esai Morales steps into the villainous role of slimy fight promoter Hugo Vega, with his publicist Myca Cruz played by White’s real-life wife Gillian Iliana White and Vega’s current champion Caesar Braga portrayed by Australia’s biggest wall of muscle favourite, Nathan Jones.
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