Peter Berg
2003
Grade: C
There is no shortage of content here as the filmmakers have given their best effort to fit a one last mission, an odd couple, a treasure hunt, and a jungle rebellion into a runtime hardly a breath over 100 minutes, and, with varying degrees of success, seems to find just enough room. What’s more, is that despite what could quickly become tonally incomprehensible manages to feel like a mostly unified movie. “The Rundown” neither takes itself too seriously nor allows itself to slip all the way into the land of farce.
It is fascinating to go back and see the early steps in Dwayne Johnson’s transformation from the most electrifying man in sports entertainment to legitimate leading man. In this regard the script is his greatest ally. While still leaving Johnson room to add color to the character of Beck, the script doesn’t set any unrealistic expectations and provides a venue for his natural charisma to shine through. One of these moments stands out vividly from the prologue; Beck’s role as a collector is established when he goes to claim a debt and collateral from a football player whose gambling has put him in the ledger of Billy Walker, Beck’s employer. Johnson comes across as genuine in his desire for things to go smoothly and quietly before he resorts to violence, but, even more impressively, the ragged breaths that Beck(Johnson) draws as he tries to control his mounting rage after having alcohol thrown in his face and his best efforts at peaceful negotiation rebuffed is the best and only evidence suggesting a source to his self-imposed prohibition against firearms. I know this is a lot of ink for a little moment, but it’s these subtleties that are the hallmarks of great acting and, I imagine, are the most difficult to master. Of course my bias is against the modern trend for more bombastic performances; I don’t like the notion that more acting and better acting are equivalent things.
Tangent aside, the plot is straightforward and simple in the main and seems to be affectionately crafted from the genre conventions already mentioned. Sean William Scott plays largely on type as the irreverent treasure hunter, Travis Walker, and Rosario Dawson is alternatingly warm and fierce as the bartendress/rebel leader, and, though she does end up in distress, the story never relegates her to the position of plot device (gratefully showing restraint from forcing an unnecessary love story upon her as well). Christopher Walken’s turn as the slave-driving mine owner Cornelius Hatcher is simultaneously funny and menacing.
The movie is most at home, of course, in the action sequences, and these are fun, well choreographed, and strategically over-the-top. Worth particular mention is the narratively irrelevant but consummately grin-inducing fight with Manito(Ernie Reyes, Jr.) which has some extremely impressive wire-work. All the running, shooting, fighting, and falling are handled purposefully and, more often than not, fall on the correct side of the action/comedy line. Johnson and Scott’s physicality also plays well off of one another, particularly in the climax. All of the best action tropes are here: one liners, hapless henchmen, a plucky sidekick, and even an explosion that can be casually ignored by the unflappable protagonist. Certainly a throwback to the older school of action film. A ceremonial passing-the-torch Arnold Schwarzenegger cameo is not beneath mention either and definitely cues the audience into the manner of film they’re about to see.
One of the weakest elements of the film is Travis’(Scott) search for the golden Gato statue. While I can’t say that it should be removed entirely as the resulting amount of rewriting would leave a dramatically different movie, the statue itself devolves into a single set-piece which amounts to little more than a weak parody of an Indiana Jones temple. Travis shouts exposition about research that he’s done while the 800 year old wooden beams behind a waterfall threaten to collapse along with the ceiling at any moment. All of the legwork for the treasure hunt is done before the opening credits roll, so all the audience is left with is the end of the trail. It’s not so much that this narrative subplot is out of place as that it is so incompletely drawn. To its credit, it does create a venue for Travis to have a character arc after a fashion as his apparent self-serving and reckless behavior is shown to be a thinner veil than one might expect, and he’s allowed to return the valuable artifact to those who need it most and agree to be taken back to face the consequences of his actions with his father. The fact that he doesn’t actually face those consequences doesn’t negate his willingness.
There’s no deep philosophy here, no political or social statements, just good old fashioned fun with charming leads, exotic locals, and all the action one could want for a popcorn-chewing, hero-cheering afternoon. The leads play well off of one another and their relationship is engaging and entertaining. Though it may not be on the radar for anyone’s favorite action movie of all time, it’s a better than average example of the genre and a good time from start to finish.
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