The Rundown (2003)

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 | Chef | Jungle

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

Colour:

Colour

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:

Brazil

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

When Christopher Walken is delivering his speech about keeping his eye on the ball, the images that are shown of the gold mine workers are a reference to a series of photos from the 1980s by Sebastião Salgado that were taken at a famous Brazilian gold mine, called "Serra Pelada".

Goofs:

Continuity: In the final fight scene between Beck and Hatcher, you notice that Hatcher has no bullet wounds on his shirt sleeves. When Mariana shoots Hatcher in his right arm, he grasps his bicep. However, the "bullet holes" in his shirt appear near the elbow. Also, Beck shoots the pistol from Hatcher's right hand without hitting his body. In subsequent scenes during Hatcher's final dialog, Hatcher's shirt has an identical wound on his left arm, with no one having shot him.

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 Very Bad Things (1998)

Soundtrack:

Get UR Freak On

Do you like thunderstorms?

Wow. Movies like this are for me both a big surprise and a guilty pleasure to watch. At first, I was doubtful that the Rock had the screen presence or the acting ability to pull off a movie like this, since I had only known him before as "the eyebrow guy from wrestling". This movie proved me wrong and has rapidly moved up into my list of favorite films.

Beck (The Rock) is somebody who chases down people that have irritated the mob, be it financially or socially. This is not his job of choice, however; he would rather own a restaurant. His bosses give him one final job: bring Travis (Sean William Scott, in a refreshing departure from the "horny idiot" style of movies) back from South America to the States. Beck finds Travis, but immediately runs afoul of Hatcher (Christopher Walken), who owns the mining town Travis lives in and wants something valuable that Travis has been looking for in the jungle. Then there are fights, running around from evil guys, more fights, monkeys, hallucinogenic fruit, and other such entertaining things.

Scott brought some well-done comic relief into the film with his quirky upbeat character. I could not stop laughing when Travis really tries to take on Beck in a contest of physical strength. It's like watching a caterpillar try and beat a Mack truck. Christopher Walken, as always, is a pleasure to watch. The man makes a perfect psychopath and I always brighten up when I see him on screen.

"The Rundown" is an excellent film which I would recommend to anyone who loves kinda-brainless (in a good way) action films. Bravo to the Rock. May he have a long and fruitful movie career.