The Rundown ('03) 2003, Rated R Universal

Buy it from

A Universal release. Written by RJ Stewart and James Vanderbilt; directed by Peter Berg; starring The Rock, Seann William Scott and Rosario Dawson. Released to DVD on March 26, 2004.

If you’re wondering why so many recognizable actors, including Christopher Walken, Rosario Dawson and Seann William Scott, agreed to act in an action movie with little plot or character development (even when measured by the genre’s already low standards) make no mistake about it, The Rundown was simply a paycheck. A paycheck and a trip to Hawaii.

Fortunately, The Rundown’s director, Peter Berg, and star, The Rock, didn’t look at it as such, and the result is one of the better action films of the last year (though I would be remiss in not pointing out that besides The Matrix Reloaded, The Rundown doesn’t have much if any worthy competition in this field).

The Rock plays "retrieval expert" Mr. Beck in The Rundown. If Beck has a first name, it’s never mentioned in the film and not listed in the credits. Inexplicably bound to a wealthy underworld mob boss, Beck is forced to run errands to collect money, people or promises. Nearing the end of his servitude, Beck is sent on his last job: to retrieve the mob boss’ wayward son, Travis (Scott), from the depths of the Amazon jungle. In Brazil, Beck quickly becomes involved in the local politics that pits the Kurtz-like figure of Hatcher (Walken) and his hired goons against the natives, whom Hatcher has essentially enslaved in order to mine gold for him and discover buried Incan treasure. Violence and one-liners ensue.

While no one expects to view a mindless action flick prominently featuring an ex-wrestler and then see accurate depictions of reality or any semblance of political sensitivity, Berg’s film pushes this limit to its near breaking point. The Yanomami Indians make one of their first appearances on celluloid here as a group of ass-kicking people who fly through the air on the jungle vines, stopping only to embrace automatic weapons and western culture. Napoleon Chagnon would be appalled and horrified to see this representation.

For the rest of America though, these Hollywood portrayals of the Amazon River basin's local inhabitants are merely plot material in The Rundown. A brief stopping point in order to take the characters to the next action sequence. And it is here that The Rundown succeeds and succeeds in spades. The action is fantastic.

As both a former member of the WWE and a Division I football player (he played tight end for the Miami Hurricanes in the early '90's), The Rock exudes an athleticism and moves with a fluidity that isn't seen in most other action stars. The Rock is powerful, strong and large, yet has a grace not often seen for men of his stature. Making the most of this, Berg and his Hong Kong stunt team set about putting The Rock into fight sequences where his size and power could be maximized. During the film's climactic fight, one of the more impressive scenes featured The Rock launching himself at, and then through, a load-bearing cement pillar, thusly knocking the makeshift building down. Shot so that The Rock hits the pole with his left shoulder, traveling directly at the camera (and the viewer), the effect is new and extremely cinematic.

However, The Rundown's most innovative and original fight creation was second-unit director and stunt coordinator Andy Cheng's method that allowed falling characters to change direction while in mid-air. During one of the aforementioned fight scenes with the Yanomami Indians, The Rock is punched hard and falls backwards. Before hitting the ground, The Rock is kicked by another assailant, his body changing paths drastically in the air before landing on the ground in a crumpled heap. It's a small trick implemented by three or four Asians who pull their ropes on cue, but the result is a heightened realism that pervades the entire fight sequences, making the punches and kicks that much harder and more violent. Exactly what you want in an action flick.

In The Rundown, Berg has done nothing to distinguish himself as an actor's director or a director who can tell a story. He has, however, put a new spin on the action film that should be appreciated by movie fans everywhere.

chris neumer

yes, it's true: The Rock's real name is Dwayne Johnson.