Worth: $15.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Baoqiang Wang, Chen Yong Sheng, Shi Peng Yuan
Intro:
… a winning film that keeps the audience invested through its powerful subject matter paired with equally compelling performances.
Based on the true story of Enbo Fight Club in the Sichuan province of China, Never Say Never is about coach En Bo’s inspiring journey to building an MMA club for local orphans and disadvantaged children.
The film follows Xiang Tenghui (Baoqiang Wang) as he develops the children into world-renowned fighters and the subsequent impact of a viral fight clip taken out of context, which sparks public outrage and forces the closure of the club, sending two of their best prospects, Ma Hu and Su Mu, down a destructive path.
Told in two time periods, first recounting the initial beginnings of the club and the second following the demise, Never Say Never remains consistently faithful to the heart of the story: Tengui’s connection with the children.
What keeps the film from falling into the sappy clichés that may be expected from such a story is the masterful performances by the older Ma Hu (Chen Yong Sheng) and Su Mu (Shi Peng Yuan), both conveying a complexity that may not have been present in the dialogue.
The flashy fight sequences would have come easily to Boaqiang Wang, who also directed the film. Wang’s martial arts background proves critical to balancing these scenes between sensationalised and believable, which results in a rare accuracy that pays respect to the art of MMA.
Wang never takes overt leaps into the inconceivable – despite numerous sequences that would allow him to do so – making the bold moments seamlessly flow with the drama. Much of this consistency must also be attributed to the cinematographer, Pan Lou, whose evocative frames never sacrifice substance for beauty.
Never Say Never culminates in the all too familiar final fight, where Su Mu takes his proteges to the international arena after recovering from an injury caused by an interim coach. Shot in black and white, the scene spikes the adrenaline and tugs at the heartstrings as shots of Su Mu as a child flash before us, igniting a comeback akin to Daniel LaRusso.
Much of what could have gone wrong in Never Say Never is avoided, leading to a winning film that keeps the audience invested through its powerful subject matter paired with equally compelling performances.
