Hey folks, Harry here... Ok, if Mr Beaks' fixation was disturbing... then, I actually had to censor the photos from the "Seaman's Trunks" as Quint deftly labeled photos of Monkeys and Midgets. My eyes have been burnt from my head... please forgice any typos, I can no longer see...
Ahoy, squirts. Quint here, crustier than ever, with my look at The Rock's opus THE RUNDOWN.
I had heard this film was stupid fun and Christopher Walken was in it. That's enough to get me into the theater. Hell, I sat through COUNTRY BEARS for Walken. If I did that, then I can watch anything.
The movie is a lot of fun. Stupid, yes... but it knows how to have a good time. I give you definitive proof... THE RUNDOWN is filled with angry, horny monkeys, running midgets and Christopher Walken monologues about The Tooth Fairy.
Sure, the ending doesn't really fit with Beck's character. Sure, some of the CG is distracting. But goddamnit, they have a horny monkey hump The Rock. I mean, the scale is so tipped in the film's favor!
What impressed me more than the awesome comedy gold combo that is Monkeys and Midgets, was the film managed to slip some subtleties in there. We know Beck doesn't like guns, but he never really says why. There is no scene where he breaks down and tells the sad story that we know is there. The closest we get to hearing that story is a brief glance at a tattoo he has on his arm. It's a cross with a date above it and a name below it. The scene isn't even about seeing the tattoo. It's just there.
I also have to give director Peter Berg credit for putting some great character actors in the film. Of course you have the headlining Walken as the baddie, but you also have none other than The Wolf Man from MONSTER SQUAD (or, if you prefer, Lazlo from WEIRD SCIENCE) himself... Jon Gries. He's a henchman, but he's there. You also get Ernie Reyes, Jr. in his first ass-kicking role. He has the best fight scene in the film with The Rock and he looks bad-ass.
The film is about Beck, a tough "debt-collector" who wants nothing more than to open his own restaurant and be done with the leg-breaking business. He is sent to South America on his final "rundown," to pick up his boss's son (played by Sean William Scott) a wannabe archaeologist in search of El Gato, a solid gold cat.
Needless to say, all hell breaks loose and the two have to work together to get out of it.
I really like Sean William Scott. He can be naturally funny, which isn't all that common. He works very well with The Rock. The two actually have some great chemistry in the film. Walken, of course, kicks ass as usual. The man is just cool. No if ands or buts.
My main complaints with THE RUNDOWN are more about how they cut most of the action... They did that aggravating MTV cutting... lots of close-ups with more than 50% of it being out of focus. There are a few action scenes that are shot pretty well (the one with Ernie Reyes Jr is the best), but the majority are just confusing.
This movie reminded me a lot of those cheesy '80s action flicks... Think a modern day COMMANDO. The Rock is finally in a leading role where he doesn't act like he has a two by four up his ass. He's completely at ease in this flick and actually gives some hope that he can be a damn good action star. God knows he needed it after THE SCORPION KING.
This is a decent, hollow popcorn flick. A solid matinee. If you're searching for depth, you should know better than to look for it in a movie starring The Rock.
That's it from me, squirts. I better get going. I have a couple upcoming Criterion DVD releases that I'm going to review in the next few days. Keep an eye out for 'em. Good stuff. 'Til that day, this is Quint bidding you all a fond farewell and adieu.
-Quint
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