The Rundown (Full Screen Edition)

Was hoping that on HD-DVD the lush tropical settings would really look sharp, apparently there's a grain filter so it might put off a few. This does fill my collection of "adventure" movies nicely, not the best acting, nor the best dialog.. but there is a lot of fun to be had. 'The Rock' is a great action star, and Walken is just priceless in anything he does.

This is our favorite family back-up movie. It doesn't matter if it's 105 degrees or we're stuffed full of turkey, this movie has a little something for everyone. It's fairly family friendly, regarding language etc, no real nudity or sensuality. More importantly for the teen girls and ladies, it has Dwayne Johnson being smart, funny and drop dead gorgeous. For all the guys, there are terrific stunts, mixed martial arts fights. Some wonderful, buddy comedy and Christopher Walken, as always, stealing the show with a silly explanation of the tooth fairy myth to his thugs. A worthwhile investment to keep around the house!

I didn't realize that the DVD I ordered was an HD not a regular. Didn't even know that they can only play on HD players. E-mailed the contact we bought it from and he just said sorry. Wouldn't refund or anything. So we haven't watched it since we have nothing to watch it on!!

First and foremost, The Rundown has one of the best opening sequences in movie history. Beck (The Rock) is a collections expert who is in a packed club attempting to collect some cash from an NFL quarterback who has renigged on a wager he lost. After being denied by the QB, and having alcohol thrown in his face, Beck proceeds to an epic beatdown. The coolest part about it is the fact that since they are all football players, the movie does an introduction of sorts, with the players' vital statistics like height, weight, and position. It's highly entertaining to watch Beck demolish a group of guys; it's even better when we know how big each guy is, and that they are professional athletes.

After the initial beatdown, in which it's clear that Beck is one of the baddest men on the planet, Beck meets with his employer (William Lucking), who just happens to be the father of a wannabe archaeologist named Travis (Sean William Scott). Unfortunately for Beck, Travis is in the Brazilian rainforest, where there's sure to be a ton of trouble.

Upon arrival in Brazil, Beck soon meets Hatcher (Walken), an over-the-top, slave-driving, gold-mine owner who refers to his cast of workers as oompa-loompas. Hatcher's character is completely ridiculous in a good way, a megalomaniacal way that can probably only be accomplished by Walken, or maybe an early Apocalypse Now version of Brando jacked up on caffeine for the hyperactivity, and Adderall for the blinkless focus. Why he has an interest in Travis is inconsequential, other than the fact that it serves as a plot fodder and a hindrance to Beck's mission. Nonetheless, he doesn't want Beck to take Travis out of the rainforest.

What follows is a collection of oddities like monkeys that molest people, outrageously long sequences of Beck falling out of trees without turning into a cripple, fruit that has incredibly strong halleucinogenic affects, and a handful of Walken lines that are hilariously quotable. There's also an irrelevant ancient artifact (El Gato) that Travis is hunting, and a resistance force of trapeze-artist capoeira fighers, led by Rosario Dawson, who battle Hatcher's dictator-like control.

The Rock delivers in this one with enough charm, action, intrigue, and witty dialogue to keep an audience enthralled to the very end.

I must say I enjoyed this film a lot, it's funny with plenty of action, lots of exaggerated fights, etc. Being British, where this movie is called 'Welcome To The Jungle', I should note that the Region 2 DVD release has most of the deleted scenes included part of the cut of the movie, which means the HD version here is slightly shorter and a wee bit less violent than the DVD release. Which annoyed me a bit.