The Rundown – Review

The king of mushrooms is the topic of discussion for the radio show that Beck (Johnson) listens to. He jots down ‘porcini.’ He has been waiting for an hour and a half surveilling a club, but is finally called inside.

Beck instantly scopes out that there are multiple football players of known stature inside, as well as his betting QB target. Being a “retrieval expert” is tough business, but his loan shark boss Billy Walker (Lucking) does not play around. Beck winds up in a “scuffle” in this club trying to get some collateral on debts owed, and things get crazy. The Rock puts the pain on some other giant dudes while a rough Missy Elliot rock remix puts the pain in the audience’s ears.

A usual opening for an action movie continues into a usual plot as Beck looks to get out of this life and into a less dangerous career. Billy is an ass of a boss however. He wants his MONAYYYY that he is owed, and one last job stands in Beck’s way.

The job takes him to South America to find Billy’s son Travis (Scott), deep in some jungle shit. Here comes some zany madness on multiple levels, with a wild adventure through the treacherous terrain of the Brazilian countryside. What’s even worse is what awaits him in the town of El Dorado, a small “Babylon paradise,” which was constructed by local mine boss Cornelius Hatcher (Walken). As parties collide, the plot ramps up as everyone goes after the treasures of the deep jungle, and Beck tries to reign in Travis.

The Rundown is a fun and silly action comedy with minimal plot brains and somewhat cartoonish fights and physics. The pairing of Johnson and Scott will either work for you, or drive you nuts. Walken is fun as usual, and Rosario Dawson always rocks, so overall the cast is good despite the story having limited mileage. The director Berg keeps a handle on the mixture of elements, and it's an okay time.

Do you understand the CONCEPT of the Tooth Fairy?!