neumu [ cinematronic ]




	The Rundown
	Peter Berg The Rock, Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken, Rosario Dawson, Ewen Bremner 2003		The lowdown on "The Rundown": As throwaway action-comedies go, it'll do, and it offers robust proof that ex-pro wrestler The Rock has the screen-hero countenance to carry a picture. The Rock's one-note movie debut in "The Scorpion King" showed none of the range nor witty delivery he displays in "The Rundown" as Beck, a durable bounty hunter/would-be gourmet chef who must close a final case before he can retire from the field and open his dream restaurant. Beck's target is his thuggish employer's obnoxious son Travis, played in grating style by Seann William Scott. A Stanford dropout and archeology buff, Travis is in the Amazon jungle to find a priceless artifact for personal gain. Despotic American expat Hatcher, who exploits the natives in his gold mines, also seeks the item, as does a cadre of guerrilla rebels. Beck must intervene to retrieve Travis. Christopher Walken is his usual nutty self as Hatcher; Rosario Dawson supplies female energy as a sexy, combat-savvy Latina barmaid. No one's going to remember much about "The Rundown" down the road, except that it was a chew-toy for the cerebellum and a favorable showcase for The Rock. One hopes he'll have something better to do.