Day 38: June 7th, 2010

The Rundown



A Fun Film Showcasing The Rock's Talents.

Loosely based on Midnight Run, Beck is sent to retrieve Travis from the Amazon. One last job before he can quite and open up his restaurant. Along the way things don't go according to plan and the two of them have to fight for their lives.

After his brief cameo in The Mummy Returns and the lead role in the forgettable The Scorpion King, it seemed that The Rundown would be his first true chance at taking over the action franchise from the likes of Arnold, who coincidentally has a cameo in this film. The Rundown does just that, shows The Rock in a lighthearted, action oriented funny film that showcases his talent as an actor. He's not another Hulk Hogan making movies because he can, but he actually has some talent. The guy is fun to watch on the screen and his film career since then has proved so.

The Rock get physical in this film, all the fights scenes are stylized to the point of exaggeration. This doesn't detract from the film, it sets up the viewer for the way the film will play out. The fight scene that uses this stylized violence the most is when The Rock takes on the rebels and Keno from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Can a simple kick really throw him in the air like that, just to be kicked again mid air? I don't think so. If you can get pass this style of action, then the Rundown will be entertaining.

Sean William Scott manages to break out of his Stifler role, something he tried to do earlier with Bulletproof Monk. Here he has a better co-star to play his comedy off of. Since then he seems to have been hit or miss with his films and continues to star in films with The Rock. Here, Scott isn't irritating, so that is a plus, with the exception of one scene in which he reuses his Evolution joke of making a bird call.

Rosario Dawson and Christohper Walken are the supporting players, both plays their roles with no real memorable parts. Rosario Dawson is almost completely forgettable in a role that is underwritten and Walken just seems to be doing his own thing, which he always does in films. We let him get away with it because his Christopher Freakin Walken.

Peter Berg did well with this one, he manages to balance both comedy and action very well and the sequences are entertaining to watch. It helps that he has two stars that played well off each other and could pull off the physical stunts required from the roles. The Rundown isn't something to jump up and down about or rush out to see either. It's a film that you can sit down and watch randomly one day and not be upset about it afterwards.

7.5/10