The Rundown (2003)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Peter Berg

Writers (WGA):

R.J. Stewart (story)
R.J. Stewart (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

cut to the chase september 26

Plot:

A tough aspiring chef is hired to bring home a mobster's son from the Amazon but becomes involved in the fight against an oppressive town operator and the search for a legendary treasure.

Plot Keywords:

Amazon | Hunter | Bounty Hunter | Jungle | Chef

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Dwayne Johnson	...	Beck (as The Rock)
Seann William Scott	...	Travis
Rosario Dawson	...	Mariana
Christopher Walken	...	Hatcher
Ewen Bremner	...	Declan
Jon Gries	...	Harvey
William Lucking	...	Walker
Ernie Reyes Jr.	...	Manito
Stuart F. Wilson	...	Swenson
Dennis Keiffer	...	Naylor
Garrett Warren	...	Henshaw
Toby Holguin	...	Head Indian Tracker
Paul S. Power	...	Martin (as Paul Power)
Stephen Bishop	...	Knappmiller
Chuck Norman	...	Mullaire

Also Known As:

Welcome to the Jungle (Australia) (UK) (USA) (working title)
Call of the Wild (USA) (working title)
Helldorado (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for adventure violence and some crude dialogue.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Venezuela:PG-13 | India:U | Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:14 | South Korea:15 | France:U | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (Nova Scotia) (re-rating on appeal) | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 (nf) | Italy:T | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12A (edited for re-rating) | UK:15 (original rating) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40155)

Filming Locations:

Hawaii Film Studio - 18th Avenue & Diamond Head Road, Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

When Beck is describing the football team's stats, footage from Vince McMahon's XFL is shown.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the bar, Beck handcuffs Travis when he is on the ground face down. We then see Beck pulling Travis up off his back by his shirt front.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Emeril Lagasse (on radio): I just love mushrooms. One of my favorites, or as I call it, "the king of mushrooms," is the porcini. Now stop right there. Don't be alarmed. There's a lot of confusion in this country between porcini, the Italian name, and cèpes, which is the French name. They're fat and they're earthy. Now the porcini is most often seen dried here in this country. And they would always be labeled "dried porcinis," not "dried cèpes." OK? They are very, very, very flavorful.

Movie Connections:

References "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (1999/I)

Soundtrack:

Changes

Surprisingly Good

And very funny.

I can honestly say I seriously doubted I would like this film and I only went to see it because it was on and I was there. I'd never seen a movie with The Rock before or even watched any wrestling so I was kind of dubious as to whether or not he would be any good.

In fact he was a great actor, full of personality and charisma, willing to make fun of himself and was great with the action. The Rock is definitely the next Arnie. Vin (Donald Duck) Diesel is the next Jean Claude Van Damme.

Seann William Scott was also pretty funny in a rare NOT Stifler performance. As an actor he does have genuine talent that's usually wasted in low-brow teen sex comedies.

The Rundown is a sort of Indiana Jones-lite movie. The Rock plays a bounty hunter/chef who is sent to track down Seann William Scott south of the border. Against his will The Rock ends up on a trek through the depths of the Mexican jungle looking for some ancient artefact. Unoriginal it may be but director Peter Berg keeps it moving with plenty of stunts, action and laughs. Christopher Walken's villain is a bit of a cardboard cut-out but how evil are you allowed to be in a PG-13?

I look forward to the next movie starring The Rock. With talks of a third Conan movie I can only imagine him being the best choice. And keep a lookout for Arnie in the nightclub at the very beginning. 'Have fun' is his only line. And fun The Rock will certainly have as the next BIG action hero.

Keep a lookout for Scottish actor Ewan Bremner (a zillion times the 'star' Ewan MacGregor is) in a funny role as a slob pilot.