If I could give this excuse for a film a 0/10 rating, I would. I've seen plenty of bad made-for-TV flicks, and am a fan of the B-movie genre, but this movie is absolutely not self-conscious or tongue-in-cheek; it's simply a piece of crap unaware of how very, very bad it is.
I'd try to summarize the plot, but honestly, it was incomprehensible. A bizarre train wreck of muscle-heads, TERRIBLY choreographed scenes, staged "MMA fights" that make pro wrestling look good, chicks with fake tits, weirdly-placed shots of sunsets, McMansions, and expensive cars ensues that is sure to make your stomach gurgle. Also, everyone in this movie inexplicably seems to have the same weird, watered-down South American accent. Curiouser and curiouser...
MMA enthusiasts should not be fooled! The presence of UFC greats GSP, Anderson Silva, B.J. Penn, and Heath Herring DOES NOT make Never Surrender more watchable. I actually found the moments when these guys were randomly inserted into the movie to be the most cringe-worthy. Seeing Echavarria "beat up" (Seriously. A line in this film: "I can beat up anyone!") amazing athletes that could crush him in two seconds in real life is too embarrassing to look at. It's pretty sad to see guys who have worked hard for years to make MMA a legitimate sport look like chumps for this amateur film-maker's amusement.
The bottom line: this is a masturbatory film project made by a washed-up kickboxer looking to keep his name alive. Echavarria's bad taste just might qualify as a life-threatening illness and if there were such a thing as the Make-A-Wish Foundation for mid-life crises sufferers, Lionsgate granted his wish when it picked up Never Surrender for distribution.
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