The Rundown Blu-ray delivers stunning video and reference-quality audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
In the always rough, have-to-be tough urban jungle of Los Angeles, there are men like Beck...well, not exactly like Beck--a man who uses whatever means are necessary to retrieve whatever he is paid to bring back. A marker, a late payment or a Super Bowl ring from a quarterback with gambling debts--Beck doesn't differentiate and simply relies on his wits, his "let's get this over with" attitude and his devastating physical prowess to get the job done. For him, it's a simple, multiple-choice world: (A) Beck's way, (B) Beck's way with force, or (C)... there is no "C." Beck doesn't go looking for trouble, and he doesn't like making trouble for anyone, either. Unfortunately, trouble is what he's hired to clean up, and there's one final mess he's got to get out of before he can leave it all behind. At the center of his current trouble is a wise-ass named Travis, a fast-talking double dealer whose dad has commissioned Beck to retrieve from a lingering adventure in Brazil. Travis proves to be more of a handful than Beck expected, not only because of his mouth and his heels-dug-in reluctance to leave, but because of a couple of other complications he brings with him: Mariana, a no-nonsense local who holds the answers to some of the jungle's hidden mysteries, and Hatcher, an unhinged despot who has turned the jungle and its inhabitants into his own fortune-making, gold-mining empire. The rundown: Beck is after a guy... who's after a fortune... and now everybody's after them. So he's going to have to unleash everything he's got to keep on top of his smack-talking quarry, the girl with the secret, the crazy tyrant, the horny monkeys, the hallucinogenic fruit, the backs-to-the-wall rebels, the perilous terrain, the hidden traps and every other obstacle that this jungle throws at him.
The Rundown seems to be the film that both literally and metaphorically handed the
title
of
"#1 Action star" to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The film sees a brief cameo appearance by
former
bodybuilder, Hollywood megastar, and current governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger (Collateral Damage),
who passes innocently enough by Johnson at the beginning of the film, saying to him, "have
fun," and
is
never seen again. Indeed, both Johnson and The Rundown are a whole lot of fun. This
film is
a
throwback Action movie that doesn't quite re-capture the magic of Arnold and the 1980s, but
gives
a valiant effort nevertheless. The Rundown is something like Commando meets
Romancing the
Stone,
two of the defining films of the 1980s, and brought together nicely here. Gone from
Commando is the deliciously ridiculous action (though it's not toned down too
much
here), and gone from Romancing the Stone is,
well, the romance, but The Rundown takes some of the best qualities from each and
makes itself into a rather unique, loud, and highly entertaining Action romp that solidified
Johnson as a powerhouse Action star and set in motion the career of Director Peter Berg, who
has
enjoyed
a string of success since with Friday Night Lights,
The Kingdom, and
Hancock.
Beck and Travis enjoy hanging out together.
Beck (Johnson), an imposing bounty hunter, is ready to leave the rough-and-tumble business
and open his own cozy 10-15 table restaurant. To get out of the game, he needs a few more
dollars and one more job. He's asked to hunt down and return his boss's son, Travis (Seann
William Scott, Mr. Woodcock), and
earn a cool quarter-million dollars. Beck descends into the Amazon in search of Travis, who
himself is in search of a rare artifact known as "Gato del Diablo," or "The Devil's Cat." Beck soon
encounters Hatcher (Christopher Walken, Domino), himself
after the Gato and working the townsfolk of El Dorado to death in the name of profit. He, too,
then, holds an interest in Travis's work and whereabouts. Beck finds Travis easily enough, and
the pair
soon find themselves on the run from Hatcher and his goons. With the help of local
bartender-by-day and rebel-leader-by-night Mariana (Rosario Dawson, Seven Pounds), the
search for the Gato and a fight for survival is on -- assuming Beck and Travis don't kill one
another in the process.
Dwayne Johnson is very good at what he does, and makes for the perfect Action star; he always
sports an imposing, larger-than-life stature, but he's able to mix wit and charm into his routine,
often alongside the action and drama. He's also a gifted performer, certainly not the next great
actor, but perfect for the sorts of roles he plays, whether in a mostly serious Action flick such as
The Rundown or in a more family-oriented Comedy setting as seen in The Game Plan.
Much
like Arnold before him, Johnson has branched out and demonstrated a range and skill set that
goes
beyond the muscles, but his bread-and-butter remains the Action film, and aside from the
occasional comedy, fans want that hardcore, few-to-no-frills, explosive action, and Johnson is
capable of putting on quite the show. Perhaps the best demonstration of that ability yet comes
in
The Rundown, an Action movie that is fine as it is, but lacking that hardcore edge that
the
best 1980s Action extravaganzas enjoyed. The film's biggest hurdle is its PG-13 rating, a rating
that seems to be the bane of many a film's existences; the rating tries to straddle the fine line of
attracting a wider audience while still pushing the violence, but at the end of the day, the
integrity,
cohesion, and feeling of completeness of many films seems to take a hit in favor of lowering the
rating. Fortunately, The Rundown doesn't suffer quite as extensively as other films
have
before and after it. The material is borderline PG-13 to begin with; the primary character is a
"violence as a last resort" type, and the action scenes featured in the film don't necessarily need
to be super violent to be effective, and indeed, they are superbly choreographed,
robust, and thrilling, just
toned down and absent copious amounts of blood and guts.
Still, there are a few things keeping The Rundown from being "awesome" and remaining
as simply an "enjoyable" Action picture. The film features a plot that isn't memorable in the
least, existing almost as an afterthought to set up the various action segments and some of the
more lighthearted comedic routines that sneak into the picture every now and then. That puts
The Rundown right in the middle of the pack as far as structure and plot go; it's there,
coherent, and easy to follow, but meaning little in the context of the bigger picture. The film
also
features a few questionable effects shots; several stick out like a sore thumb, but like the plot,
they come and go, segueing from one scene to the next and meaning little at the end of the
film.
Finally, the film features limited characterization, with only Johnson's character receiving much in
the way of depth and breadth. His character is portrayed as tough and secretive; he is given a
sense of
honor and purpose, and it's a hit-or-miss endeavor. On one hand, it adds some depth to the
movie. On the other, a movie like this is all about the action, and all of the finer character
nuances, like the finer points of the plot, won't be remembered in the long run. No matter the
take, The Rundown does a good job of not allowing Beck's back story to bog the film
down. It's mentioned now and then, eventually explained, and the film moves on with little to
no sense of it having really mattered, save for the added drama of his eventual skilled use of
firearms. All the other characters, including the three additional primaries -- Travis,
Mariana, and Hatcher -- receive minimal development. They have a few surprises up their
sleeves, but again, nothing that really mattered by the time the credits begin to roll.
The Rundown boasts a high quality 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. The picture looks a
bit
messy, though seemingly intentionally so, over the opening moments of the film. It's very dark
and obscure, with colors that tint towards the red and orange side of the spectrum. The film
retains a rather harsh and gritty look throughout, even if it brightens up considerably in the
Amazon. The transfer retains a heavy grain structure that is evident in every scene. None of
this
obscures fine detail, however. Viewers will note sweat glistening off the faces of the characters,
all
the lines and pits in faces, and even, seemingly at times, the individual granules of dirt and blades
of
grass that make up the Amazonian terrain. Many interior shots reveal enormous amounts of
detail,
too. The locations in El Dorado are cheap, run down, old, and the transfer reveals every
speck of dirt, hole in the wall, and chip of paint nicely. The transfer always appears sharp where
it
should.
Blacks are marvelous, slipping to a dark shade of gray only once or twice. There is some very
heavy
and seemingly random blocking during a few interior shots inside a cave in chapter 17, but
otherwise, there is little to complain about with this one. The Rundown is another visual
winner from Universal.
Another Tuesday, another killer soundtrack from Universal. The Rundown
features a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless mix that packs quite the wallop. Bass is the highlight of the
track and features both direct (explosions, thuds) and indirect (the pounding beats heard
street-side from a closed-door club) excitement. The subwoofer will be sweating and
panting at the end of this one. It easily enjoys a Dwayne Johnson-caliber workout. Dialogue is
also strong and bass-heavy. Several times throughout the film, gunshots ring out, ricochet, and
fly all over the soundstage with pinpoint accuracy and power. Directional effects are superb in
every action sequence, and ambience is excellent, particularly in the jungle environs, where it is
both subtle and effective. The soundstage comes alive to place the audience in the midst of the
Amazon, encircling listeners with all of the natural (and sometimes unnatural) sounds that bring
each scene to vivid life. The "Monkey" sequence in chapter 13 is one of the best in the film;
"dynamic" and "loud" defines the experience, with a subsequent gunshot filling the soundstage
with superb authority and power. The film's music plays precisely. It is primarily front-heavy but
offers excellent fidelity. The sonic highlight of the film comes in chapter
17 as a cave collapses around the characters. it's loud, scary, and rattles from every single
corner
of the soundstage, making for a thrilling listen. The film's climax, too, comes complete with some
of the heaviest and most consistent uses of bass yet. The Rundown makes a strong case
as one of the most exhilarating and action-packed listens yet on Blu-ray.
The Rundown features a hefty supplemental package. Two commentary tracks lead the
charge, the first featuring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Director Peter Berg. The track is
completely off-the-wall, mixing real information with jokes galore. It's hard to switch off, and
flows
nicely. It's different to be sure, very relaxed, and often completely hilarious. Track two features
Producers Kevin Misher and Marc Abraham. This track is drier and more technical in nature, and
seems to drag considerably after the light, easygoing nature of the Actor and Director track. It's
still
informative and worth a listen for fans, but easily more of a standard, "ho-hum" commentary.
Next are a series of deleted scenes (480p, 13:50). Rumble in the Jungle (480p, 10:32)
takes a detailed look at the fight choreography seen in the film. The Amazon, Hawaii
Style (480p, 5:27) looks at the exotic filming locations as seen in the film. Appetite for
Destruction (480p, 8:20) looks at the making of some of the film's most explosive stunts.
'The Rundown' Uncensored (480p, 6:08) is a comical piece that looks at the animal
stunts as seen in the film. Running Down the Town (480p, 4:09) is a short piece that
looks at the construction of one of the film's primary sets. Walken's World (480p, 5:33)
examines star Christopher Walken's character and the professionalism, comedy, and charm he
brought to his role. Finally, this disc is BD-Live (Blu-ray profile 2.0) enabled.
The Rundown isn't a particularly great movie, but it's better-than-average action fare that
solidifies Dwayne Johnson as the next Arnold, and he doesn't disappoint. The movie places just
about everything behind the action, including character development and plot nuances, but it
moves at a wonderful pace and features good performances from the lead characters, particularly
from Johnson and Walken. The Rundown makes good use of all its assets, and while it
could have been better (like
most movies out there), it's a perfectly enjoyable flick as-is and well worth a watch. As far as the
actual quality of the disc, it is more than obvious that Universal has done it again! The
Rundown boasts fine picture quality, an amazing soundtrack, and plenty of supplements.
Fans of the movie should have no reservations about making this one a permanent addition to the
Blu-ray collection. Recommended to Action fans.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring 'The Rock Collection' to Blu-ray on February 10th. This three-disc set will feature the Blu-ray releases of 'The Rundown', 'Doom', and 'The Scorpion King', which all feature 1080p video accompanied ...
Universal Studios Home Entertainment has revealed that they will bring the Dwayne Johnson films 'Doom: Unrated' and 'The Rundown' to Blu-ray on February 10th. Both of these titles were previously available on the HD DVD format, though it does not appear they will ...
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