Photo of Michael Jai White in Bangkok where they are shooting. Spoilerized for size.








Interview with MJW about the movie:


Nuke: You got a chance to direct Never Back Down 2. Are you planning to direct again?

MJW: Yes, I’m actually going to be directing Never Back Down 3. I think I leave for Thailand in about three weeks. By the end of the second movie, you see that my character has gotten an invitation to get back into the ring and to compete for the MMA crown. So this is that character embarking on that challenge.

Nuke: Are there any new Thai fighters you’re looking at to give them a showcase in Never Back Down 3?

MJW: Oh yeah, we’ve got some of the top ones but the ink’s not dry yet. Tony Jaa’s going to make an appearance and also Jeeja [Yanin] is going to be in it. Also I’ll be joined by Josh Barnett who is the most celebrated heavyweight MMA champion ever. There’ll be some fights between Josh and I.

- See more at: http://nukethefridge.com/2015/05/04/....iUWcL5Gl.dpuf
Read more at http://nukethefridge.com/2015/05/04/...Og846uUsk7l.99

Never saw the other ones but I'll watch this to see what MJW brings to the table.

Tony Jaa making a bunch of American action films. He and MJW are in the new Dolph Ludgren film, too...

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I wonder if they got together because of this film?

Trailer finally released for this:




This was filmed last summer in Bangkok.

at the last part of the trailer with Tony Jaa.

If you've never seen the previous 2 movies, they are essentially a MMA/UFC version of The Karate Kid/Rocky. MJW was introduced in the 2nd film.

The 1st movie actually played in theaters, the 2nd one and I presume this one too will be straight to video.

Safe assumption given the image is for the DVD.

Completely forgot about the original. For a moment I mixed it up with Fighting which apparently came out a year later.

I just saw the first one a week or two ago. It was agreeable escapism. I like Jai White and would love to see him star in another good fighting vehicle like Blood and Bone. I don't know if this is that movie, or junk.

So sad he has to be relegated to this crap...

Got the DVD and watched this today. It's entertaining for a straight to video martial arts movie, if you're a fan of MJW. Like I said when I posted about this months back, it's like a UFC/MMA version of Rocky. Most of the supporting cast is terrible and cliched, especially the guy who plays the buddy of White (Josh Barnett). His acting is awful and he has no chemistry with White. He's a UFC fighter, so I'm not surprised he's a shitty actor. But, MJW is pretty badass most of the movie and I loved the finale fight scene. There are some fun sparring and training scenes.

There's one very laughable miscasting. One of the MMA villains who was supposed to be a Hispanic character was played white Australian actor Nathan Jones.

White's real-life wife plays his love interest in the movie. They actually got married shortly after the film wrapped production. He posted pretty regularly about the filming of this movie. It was shot on location in Bangkok, Thailand, so for me it was cool seeing some of the sights I saw when I travel there. You don't really need to see the previous 2 movies to watch this. White is playing the same character he played in the 2nd movie, but the movie's story is standalone. I like Esai Morales, but he was kind of a weak villain.

The movie is without a doubt low budget. I would say that they spent no more than $10-15M, but White (being the director) got the most of the limited resources he had. There was probably 3 or 4 sets besides the exterior shots.

Recommended for fans of MMA and MJW. I'd give this between a B- and C+ as a 1-time rental only mainly for the fight scenes, location and MJW.