Reviewed by Johnny McNair

 

Universal Studios Home Entertainment – 104 mins – 2003 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 – DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio

 

 

 

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has made some seriously bad film choices lately, with embarrassing efforts such as Doom, Race to Witch Mountain, and the worse yet…Tooth Fairy. He was obviously the most serious choice to take the muscle bound action hero throne, since Stallone and Schwarzenegger were getting up there in age. He had a strong start with The Scorpion King, and in 2003 he did The Rundown, which was a solid adventure film that showed this guy had promise in this genre. While not a mega-hit, The Rundown had legs and received cult status. The Rundown is available on Blu-ray from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, so if you’re looking for some macho two-fisted action, get ready to Rock.

 

THE MOVIE

 

Dwanye Johnson plays Beck, a ‘bag man’ who has been hired by his boss Billy (William Lucking) to travel into the Amazon jungle to search and rescue his son Travis (Sean William Scott). Beck agrees to do it, just as long as this is his last job, because he wants to retire and use the money to open a restaurant. Beck travels to South America to a small town called Helldorado, a place run by a corrupt scoundrel named Hatcher (Christopher Walken). Travis is there trying to find an ancient artifact known as the Gato, which will bring whoever possesses it fortune and glory, and Hatcher is after it as well. Added into the mix is a local girl named Mariana (Rosario Dawson) who is out for her own aspirations, which makes the situation riskier. Beck now finds himself tangled in a web of danger, and even though he never uses a gun, anything else goes as he attempts to rescue Travis and get out off Helldorado alive.

 

Directed by Peter Berg, (who helmed Friday Night Lights and Hancock) The Rundown is well paced and knows exactly what it’s out to do. This film was made as a showcase for Dwanye Johnson to do his thing, and the cameo by Schwarzenegger in the opening scene proves this as Arnie passes the action hero torch to him by saying “good luck.” Johnson is the reason why this film is enjoyable, he has a charm a screen presence that makes you like and want him to win. There’s nothing new about The Rundown, because it’s a mixture of a dozen other better action films, but it’s still fun and it’s easy to see why the film has gained cult status.

 

If Johnson stayed on this path and looked for scripts that can showcase him in the same manner that The Rundown does, he wouldn’t be forced to play the Tooth Fairy now. If you’ve never seen The Rundown, it is definitely worth a look because of its solid cast, constant action and sense of humor. Maybe Johnson should think about re-visiting this character for a sequel, because sine he doesn’t have a Fast and Furious movie to run back to like Vin Diesel, he needs to get back to familiar territory to revive his fading movie career.

 

VIDEO

 

The Rundown hits Blu-ray with a full 1080p image in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and the transfer is actually really good. The Rundown benefits from its many outdoor jungle scenes that allow colors to pop offering plenty of detail. Skin tones can appear a little too reddish at times, but it fits with the style of the film. The image quality is super sharp allowing you to see every age line on Christopher Walken’s face whenever he has a close up. Those of you who like looking at Rosario Dawson will also be pleased because she has plenty of cleavage shots that ready for Blu-ray.

 

AUDIO

 

Offering a killer Dolby DTS Lossless Master 5.1 sound mix, The Rundown sounds great and is a huge leap over that DVD. There’s plenty of action, so all your speaker will get a workout, particularly the rear speaker because of all of the jungle ambience. Dialogue is clean and sound effects are nicely meshed to immerse you in the action. This one has all the audio bells and whistles you would expect from a Blu-ray, so crank up the speakers.

 

EXTRAS

 

All of the bonus features from the DVD have been ported over to this Blu-ray so you will have no issues with upgrading your disc, but they all still remain in standard definition. 

 

Two audio commentaries are available, one from director Peter Berg and the film’s star Dwayne Johnson. The second commentary track is from the producers Kevin Misher and Marc Abraham. Both tracks provide background information and on the set tales, but overall neither commentary will keep your finger off of the fast forward button.

 

There are five featurettes that clock in at a half an hour: ‘Rumble in the Jungle,’ ‘Running Down the Town,’ and ‘The Amazon-Hawaii Style,’ dive into the making of The Rundown with your basic on the set cast and crew interviews.

 

‘Walken’s World’ is a cool little segment on the man himself, Christopher Walken.

 

‘The Rundown Uncensored’ is barely worth watching, comprised of mock news clips.

 

Finally there are nine deleted/extended scenes.

 

BOTTOM LINE

 

The Rundown is definitely Dwayne Johnson’s best film to date, and though it’s full of clichés there’s a lot of fun to be had. Offering good picture quality and great sound this Blu-ray delivers. If you like this film and never owned the DVD, this is the way to go, all others should give it a rent first, but you’ll be surprised how it hooks you in.

 

SCORES: (Out of 5):

 

The Movie: 3.5

Video: 4.0

Sound: 4.0

Extras: 3.0

Bottom Line: 3.5