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http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/wrestling/6798482.htm

Thu, Sep. 18, 2003   
 
The Rock's star status grows

By SCOTT FISHMAN
Miami Herald Writer

WWE star The Rock solidified his status as a legitimate action star
with his new Universal movie The Rundown. The Rock appeared after a
special screening of the flick Wednesday, Sept. 17 at Muvico Paradise
in his hometown (South Florida) Davie.

He walked the red carpet with his wife Dany, signed some autographs,
participated in a Q&A with fans and watched a follow-up screening with
family and friends including Miami Dolphins Junior Seau and Jason
Taylor.

In the action comedy, The Rock plays Beck -- a no-nonsense bounty
hunter who has to complete one final mission before he can leave the
business and settle down by owning his own restaurant.

Beck is sent from Los Angeles to the exotic Amazon jungle of Brazil
where he must bring home his bosss smart-mouthed thrill seeker son
Travis (Seann William Scott). This proves to be no simple task for the
hero as he must not only deal with Travis, but the complications he
brings along the way.

One of them being Hatcher (Christopher Walken), a mad man who turned
the area and its citizens into slaves, forced to work for his
financial gain. With a local native named Mariana (Rosario Dawson) as
their part-time guide through the wilderness, the group must confront
the obstacles of Hatchers men, bizarre monkeys and other forces of
nature to fulfill separate agendas.

>From the moment The Rock and Scott meet in the bar, the duo shows
natural chemistry which provides for some very entertaining scenes. In
contrast to The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King, the Brahma Bull
entered the genre of physical comedy. This added a new dimension to
his acting ability, and he pulled it off nicely.

The action scenes elicited fond memories of Stallone and
Schwarzenegger flicks of yesteryear. Schwarzenegger actually made a
cameo in The Rundown, sort of passing the torch to The Rock as
Hollywood's next big action star.

The Rock looked at home utilizing wrestling moves including the `Rock
Bottom to lay the Smackdown on his adversaries. The special effects
were beautifully done, using Matrix-style photography to enhance the
fight sequences.

Overall, the film is no classic, but it accomplished its goal. Its a
wild adventure with many twists and turns keeping movie goers
entertained throughout.

Wrestling fans will cheer as the Peoples Champ kicks butt, and others
will be satisfied with its comedic and action adventure appeal.

To borrow a bit from the movie, people have three options:

(A) See the movie.

(B) See the movie.

© There is no option C.

The Rock continues to improve and will only get better. With his
wrestling career up in the air, Johnson continues to focus on acting.
He told fans at the screening he will still wrestle and has not quit
the sports entertainment biz. He is just busy making movies.

The Rock recently finished work on the remake of Walking Tall,
co-starring Johnny Knoxville. His next project is Spy Hunter, an
adaptation of the successful video game.

With the cross-over success he is enjoying, the Rock inspired others
to test Hollywood's infested waters. WWE star Triple H will break from
wrestling to play a heel role in Blade: Trinity, the third installment
in the Blade series featuring Wesley Snipes.

Another WWE superstar hitting Hollywood is Kevin Nash who just
finished filming a part in the upcoming Punisher movie, tentatively
set for a summer 2004 release.

The Rundown opens Sept. 26.


--- Internet Rex 2.29