In the jungle, the mighty jungle, with The Rock

Strobe lights, loud driving music, big guns and even bigger hand-to-hand fighting sequences… Strobe lights, loud driving music, big guns and even bigger hand-to-hand fighting sequences make “The Rundown” an intense action flick. The movie gains momentum at the beginning and doesn’t let up until the last man has hit the ground. Tight, close shots set the scene before the action just explodes.

“The Rundown” is a story about bad guys and really bad guys. Beck (the Rock) is fed up with his current job – which involves tracking people down and taking what they owe his boss – and is desperate to quit so he can start a restaurant. Unfortunately, quitting is not as easy as putting in his two weeks notice. Beck has one last job he needs to complete before he can walk away. He has to go to the Amazon jungle to find Travis (Seann William Scott), his boss’ son, and bring him back home to LA. Of course, this task is anything but simple.

Guns take Beck to a place he doesn’t want to go, but that doesn’t prevent everyone else from having them. However, they rarely get a chance to fire at Beck before he kicks them in the head or knocks them out with his ingenious moves. The action, though unrealistic, is entertaining to watch. The fight choreography is clever and the characters utilize every object nearby, from turntables to swinging vines on trees.

Each actor brings his or her own kind of humor to the movie. Seann William Scott doesn’t quite move past his Stifler days from the “American Pie” trilogy, but he still has plenty of amusing lines. It is hard to keep a straight face while watching his character try to hold his own in all of the fights.

The Rock is best when throwing people to the ground, but he has his own comedic lines, in a straight man sort of way. Christopher Walken, though, really brings comedy to this action film, playing the overlord at the gold mine in the Amazon. His quietly delivered lines and the wit he brings to his character are truly hilarious in the movie.

“The Rundown” is an enjoyable, loud and exciting movie that won’t disappoint fans of the action genre. The movie has some expected turns, yet provides a couple of twists to keep the audience engaged. Being trapped and chased down in the Amazon jungle was never more fun.