Rating: 
Summary: The Best Action Film of the Year!
Review: The year started off with "Daredevil." Decent but not good enough. Lighter action films took place such as "Agent Cody Banks", "The Core", and then "Bulletproof Monk." Then a few bigger ones came like "Bad Boys II", "Lara Croft Tomb Raidor The Cradle of Life", "SWAT," and "The Medallion." But none of those hold a candle to the fun, excitment, and action packed laughs as "The Rundown" the film where The Rock proves that he can be a good actor. He is joined by "American Pies" Sean William Scott and "Catch Me If You Can's" Christopher Walken, along with the help of Rosario Dawson of "Men in Black II." But I think that the best performance is The Rock. He started his acting career in 2001's "The Mummy Returns" but wasn't in it enough. He then took another movie spinoff of The Mummy in his "Returns" character "The Scorpion King." But the problem with that movie was that there was not enough dialouge to make me think of him as a good actor. It was mostly running or him doing his trademark look from wrestling. I don't think in any of the 104 minutes of "The Rundown" he does anything close to his trademark look. In this movie The Rock plays Beck, an expect finder. He always gies people two options. For instance, in the beginning when trying to get a ring he gives them option A which is "Give me the ring," or option B which is "Have me make you give me the ring." Most people always choose the latter which NOT the way to go. He then proceeds to give you the beating of a lifetime. But he wants to get out of that and open his own resturant. His boss Billy agrees to let him be out, as long as he does one last job for him. The job is to travel to Brazel, the jungle, to get Billy's son Travis, who has been in the jungle searching for treasure. But he's gotten into so much trouble that his father has had to bail him out of prison. He is flown there by Declan and thinks that finding Travis will be a quick job, in and out. But of course problems arouse. Beck meets Hatcher, a businessman who uses the locals as slaves to mine gold for him. Hatcher finds Travis for him but when he finds out that Travis knows where a great artifact is, he decides not to let Beck take him back to his waiting father. But a fight between Beck and Hatcher, has Hatcher and his men wanting to find Travis and Beck dead. They do flee into the jungle, with Travis sturggling to regain his freedom. They do get help from local bartender Mariana who is looking for the same artifact that Travis knows where it is, so she can liberate her people. "The Rundown" is loaded with action, effects, and comedy. It's loads of fun as well. It's not just a predictable action comedy, and they don't even use the character of Mariana as a love intertest to the character of Beck. Beck basically wanted to finsh the job so he can fullfill his dreams of becoming of chef in his resturant. I think that after this great work of film, The Rock can finally start starring in action movies that are worth seeing on the screen. His "The Scorpion King" was a good movie, but it's more of a movie that you rent rather then pay a large sum of money to see on the big screen. "The Mummy Returns" he had a very smaller part and it was his film debut so you pretty much didn't know what to expect. But he is a movie star now, because "The Rundown" proves it. ENJOY! Rated PG-13 for adventure violence and some crude dialogue.
Rating: 
Summary: THE RUNDOWN
Review: Good, but not great. The Rock/Dwane Johnson is a great peformer, further from his WWF days. Back then when he was quick on the mouth(like Jessie Ventura)and his contemptous look/attitude to his apponents made me laugh to death. On the big screen he has translated his act well. The flaws in this and The Scorpion King is simple he needs more older material, like his Austrian predeessor. However this is an entertaing romp, he forms a good double act with the excellent Sean william Sott. Christopher Walken is as ever a great bad guy.
The Rock has 100% charisma and a great sense of humour; he comes off as a very clever man (unlike Arnie).
Keep up the good work!
Rating: 
Summary: Very funny and non-stop action
Review: This movie is much better than I thought it would be when I saw it at the theater last year. It is funny, the plot is interesting and the action is pretty much non-stop. I enjoyed the second and third viewing as much as the first. Seann William Scott is very funny and a great balance to the Rock. Christopher Walken is hysterical as the bad guy and has a couple of lines (one that mentions some characters from Willy Wonka!) that will have you on the floor laughing. The Rock does a good job being "the rock" and that is fine in this film The action scenes are imaginative. I especially like the fights that occur in the beginning of the film without guns. I hope the stuntmen and women were paid well because they certainly go through hell to give us a good laugh. I also enjoyed the extras on the DVD. Definitely worth purchasing.
Rating:
Summary: Establishing The Rock as a bona fide movie star
Review: As far as action-comedies and buddy flicks go, "The Rundown" is just about as good as it gets. It also introduces The Rock to the general public as the forerunner of the next generation of action movie stars; someone who has the physical chops to truly be as menacing as his on-screen persona, but also can play self-deprecating humor quite well. In fact, it's the humorous bits The Rock played (screaming at monkeys; "these guys kick HARD!" although that latter bit never made it into the final film) that stuck in my memory the most as the most entertaining bits of the movie and showed a dimension to The Rock that longtime wrestling fans always knew were there, but which has not been displayed before the general public until now. The Rock proved that he can carry a film all by his lonesome with this movie, and solidified himself as a force in the action movie genre for some time to come. Seann William Scott, much to my surprise, comes off as something more than another typecast Stiffler character, which is admittedly his greatest strength. He convincingly plays a character who should be despicable and loathesome to the audience, but by the end of the movie, Scott has managed to make him sympathetic and praiseworthy. Unlike the role played by Johnny Knoxville in the recent "Walking Tall", Scott's role in "The Rundown" is much more important than comedic relief. It's through him that Beck (The Rock's character) comes to terms with the conflicts inside himself. Rosario Dawson's character could have been easily written off as annoying or just plain far fetched. A beautiful, female rebel leader who speaks perfect English and works as a barmaid by day? Ridiculous. But Dawson plays the character so convincingly that you quickly forget the ludicrous premise. To director Peter Berg's credit, he appears to simply get out of stunt coordinator Andy Cheng's way with the fight scenes and allows Cheng's strengths to shine through. There is a marked difference in quality between the fight scenes in "The Rundown" and "Walking Tall". "The Rundown" exhibits more kinetic, frantic and poetic fight scenes that are simply beautiful to watch. They can be watched again and again. The bonus features of this DVD should be better labelled. On the first screen of bonus features, one can view more features by clicking on "Back to Menu" (or something like that) at the bottom of the screen, even though that function would appear to take you back to the title screen. I don't buy many DVDs, but I'm glad I bought this one.
Rating:
Summary: The Rundown
Review: The Rundown
The Rock has nailed himself another movie. The Rundown stars Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock, as Beck the "retrieval expert." This movie was much better than last years The Scorpion King, and definitely had more of a plot.
Beck's mission takes him deep into the Amazon, to a town called El Dorado. El Dorado is run by a ruthless warden named Hatcher (Christopher Walken), who has turned his people into slaves. He runs the kind of town where you work all day, and hand in all of your earnings at the end in exchange for food, and shelter. Beck is assigned to bring a treasure hunter
named Travis (Sean William Scott) back to his father in L.A. Obviously he doesn't wan to go back, so he wrecks their Jeep, and sends them down a hill, and deep into the jungle. Now their stuck, and the movie takes time for some humorous fights with village people, and crazy monkeys. This part of the movie gives us a twenty minute humor break until Christopher Walken's
character arrives, and terrorizes the village people they are staying with.
There is also another sub-plot about a golden cat statue that Hatcher wants as well, and this gives reason to capture a few people and create tension. Everyone has something different they want to use it for, Travis wants to sell it on eBay, Mariana (Rosario Dawson) a local bar tender, wants to use it to help her people, and Beck doesn't care either way. The only thing he's interested in is getting back home, and opening his own Italian restaurant. This movie makes a classic example of Christopher Walken's line: "Hero wears a normal hat, sidekick wears a funny hat, villain wears an ugly hat." And Hatcher's hat is truly ugly, I wouldn't be caught dead in it. But I think Hatcher's only reason to wear his hat is to cover up his hideous hair-do.
Overall, the movie was pretty funny, and had some great scenery; but some of the fight scenes were over the top, and there was clearly some wire action going on. In some scenes, the Rock will be beaten to a pulp, then stand up and smile, revealing one or two bruises. The movie got a little old after a while, too.
Rated PG-13 for adventure violence, and crude dialouge. Fist fights, knife fights, and shootouts. Your classic adventure movie. Not too graphic of course. A little crude humor here or there too. Not too crude, though. A bit of language as well.
-Austin Boggs
Rating:
Summary: So much better than expected...
Review: The film focuses on a bounty hunter named Beck ( WWE's The Rock)who works for a loan shark named Walker ( William Lucking). Beck longs to get out of the business and open up a restraunt. Walker agrees to release Beck of his obligations if he pulls one last job. That job consists of Beck traveling to Brazil to bring home Walker's son Travis ( Seann William Scott). Travis is currently trying to find a priceless and ancient artifact refered to as "The Gato" which is a solid piece of gold in the form of a cat. Beck assumes that it will be an easy job. However, when he gets to Brazil, Beck discovers a local slave driver/ gold prospector named Hatcher ( Christopher Walken) who needs Travis to lead him to The Gato. Now Beck must not only deal with Hatcher and his men, but Travis's repeated escape attempts as well. Before I watched "The Rundown" I had some serious doubts. I have been a fan of the WWE for years, and I respect The Rock as a sports entertainer. But after seeing his last film "The Scorpion King" it became apparent that The Rock could not act his way out of a paper bag. However, after watching The Rundown, I was majorly suprised at how good this film turned out to be. It is incredibly similar to "Midnight Run" because it involves action, comedy, and aspects of a buddy flick. At times, this film is funnier than Midnight Run because it is set in the jungles of Brazil, and Beck and Travis must deal with crazy villagers, sex crazed monkeys, etc.. This provides for a lot of entertainment. The Rock actually did a very good job. He was smooth when he delivered his dialogue, he did very well in the fight scenes, and he brought aspects of his WWE character into the role with his skill for comedy and even a "rock bottom" in one of the fights. Seann William Scott also did a very good job and worked extremely well off of The Rock. Christopher Walken and Rosario Dawson also did a nice job in their roles as well. While "The Rundown" might not be the best movie ever made, it offers a solid mix of action and comedy, and turns into the best buddy flick that I have seen since "Midnight Run". The fight scenes were extremely well choreographed, and all of the actors did a nice job in their roles. This is definately a film that enforces the rule of " don't judge a book by its cover" because I went from thinking this film was going to stink, to buying it shortly after I watched it. The DVD itself brings excellent picture and sound quality, as well as some cool extras. A solid 4 stars...
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable--Best "Guy" Movie in a While
Review: I had delayed watching Rundown because I assumed it would be poorly scripted with less than adequate actors. I finally got it when my dad and I wanted to watch a tough entertaining movie. We were definitely satisfied with Rundown. The Rock comes through solidly as an action figure--tough guy. His moves are good and his acting passes. The script is entertaning. Christopher Walken fills a gap lacking in many action movies. His character is ruthless but witty. The combination of actors and actresses gives a good balance, and the story is positive. If you are looking for a good action movie, check out Rundown.
Rating:
Summary: This just in...The Rock can act!!
Review: I'd just had a really, really bad day. So, I popped this DVD in thinking to lose myself in a completely brainless B-movie, and...surprise!! It was pretty decent flick! Pleasant surprises include: Smart dialog, beautiful backdrop, some truly hilarious moments, well-choreoghraphed action sequences, and a very respectable performance by the Rock. Seann Austin something-or-other also puts in a good effort as the geeky irritation you grow to love. And of course Christopher Walkin is reliably excellent, portraying his eccentric, ego-maniacal self. My only beef is the lack of exploration into the characters themselves. The movie sets itself up for some major character study with both the main players and never quite delivers. And the token female is shallow at best. All in all an excellent film that scores very high in entertainment value and promises a very bright future for the Rock's film career.
Rating:
Summary: I can't believe it, The Rock was GOOD!
Review: When I saw the Scorpion King I was completely convinced that The Rock was nothing more than another muscle bound hunk looking for hollywood action to ad to his wrestling career. He was impressive physically of course, but his acting was nothing more than a drawl.
So when the Rundown first came out I was convinced it would have no more substance and I opted to not see it in theaters. It's a decision I regret. This movie has changed my entire view of the Rock as an actor. His performance is actually quite impresive for an action star, his character is not only memorable, but likeable. The action is top notch, showing some of the most incredible camera shots and stunt work i've seen in a while. It's got to be the most original action movie this year. If the movie has one failing, it is its plot. I know that sounds like it might actually ruin the entire movie but it doesn't. The plot is just very cliche, which is ironic because the characters, particularly Beck(The Rock), are all so original. Trust me, this movie is very good, at times you might go "ah common" at its plot twists, but there is very little to criticisze about the action, the directing, and even better, the acting!
Rating:
Summary: The Rock Getting His Wings
Review: "The Rundown" stars Dwayne Johnson (aka 'The Rock') as a man, Beck, indebted to an underworld figure named Billy Walker (William Lucking). We're never told exactly why Beck owes his allegiance to Billy Walker; but, we do know that if Beck finishes this one last rundown, he'll get his release and $250,000 to start his own restaurant. The man he must rundown is Walker's son Travis (Seann William Scott). Travis is somewhere in the Amazonian jungle. He dropped out of Stanford and is now kicking around in a mining town founded by a man named Hatcher (Christopher Walken). Hatcher lets Travis roam around through 'his' jungle looking for trinkets asking only for his fair cut. Beck tracks Travis down to this location. Hatcher initially agreees to let Beck take Travis back home until he finds out that Travis has found a very valuable artifact that he has so far kept hidden from him. What follows is essentially a chase through the jungle. Beck is trying to get Travis back to the airstrip so he can fly him back to Los Angeles while Travis wants to find the Gato del Diablo (Devil Cat). Travis 'enlists' the help of Mariana (Rosario Dawson) in convincing Beck to let him try. There are many scenes in "The Rundown" which have no explicable reason for being in the movie but which are enjoyable nonetheless. A big reason for this is the cast. The Rock, Scott, and Walken all play their parts to perfection. The Rock is the haunted tough guy out of his element; Scott is the lunatic rich kid who thinks he knows more than he really does; and Walken is, well, Walken. There is no particular reason why this movie needed to be set in a jungle; but, they use it to good effect all the same. There are many scenes (especially the one with the screaming monkeys) that could have been filmed in an entirely different location with entirely different animals but which is funny anyhow. As action/comedy movies go this is one that is stronger on the comedy side than the action one. It is interesting that Arnold Scwharzenegger has a cameo role in this film at the beginning. This was probably a conscious effort of all parties involved to say that The Rock is the new action king in town. He seems to have the same charismatic presence on screen as Arnold does. With a little better material he might even deserve the torch that's seemingly been passed.
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