Posts Tagged ‘the rock’

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327850/trivia

Dir. Peter Berg

Part two of “The Rock” double bill is a silly romp through the jungle with Sean William Scott and Rosario Dawson. There’s not a lot I’d actually like to say about the film, it was a silly action movie with great stunts, really brutal looking stunts, and that’s about all that stuck with me.

The only major point that comes to mind is in the casting and performance of the villain. Christopher Walken has become quite a cult-favourite as far as actors go with his unusual looks, voice and comedy performances and he keeps that up throughout Welcome to the Jungle which lends his character a kind of fun charm, making the audience like him. The problem with this is that his character is doing despicable things, he’s meant to be a genuinely evil guy but unfortunately you like him too much to really go along with the other character’s hate. It’s a strange split that doesn’t work and is the major flaw I found in the film.

Other than that, an enjoyable action film, but nothing more.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0351977/

Dir. Kevin Bray

This is a remake of the 1973 Joe Don Baker film of the same name. The original film was a fictionalised take on Sheriff Buford Pusser’s efforts to clean up his home town and was, on its release, very popular. It was a simple tale of good vs. evil, with some harsh moments along the way, and thanks to that was something everyone could easily get into.

This remake fictionalises the story further, taking out most of the real elements, even Buford’s name, and making everything simpler and sillier. This is emphasised by the casting of The Rock (Dwayne Johnson) and Johnny Knoxville in the main roles, two people who aren’t known for their great acting talent, but they possess some enjoyable screen charm.

The story is basically The Rock smashing the crap out of bad guys who are working for his former friend, Neal McDonough. They get rather annoyed, target him and his family, and so he beats them up even more and they lose. The plot’s predictable, occasionally preposterous and likely fraught with holes but ultimately, it doesn’t matter. The film doesn’t aspire to any higher goal than simple time-filling entertainment, and on that level it works just fine. The production is adequate, the dialogue competent and that’s all I can say honestly.

I enjoyed it well enough as both a film to watch and one to make fun of. Far from the worst, and far from the best I’ve seen but a passable piece of simple entertainment.