The Rundown
Universal Pictures | Release Date: September 26, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
59
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 36 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
13
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
SlateMichael Agger
Aggressively adolescent. It hearkens back to the time in a young man's life when humping monkeys were funny, when a promise didn't count if your fingers were crossed, when debating pointless hypothetical questions held a fascination, and when professional wrestling offered endless, senseless entertainment. Read full review
60
Film ThreatDavid Grove
Is he (Rock) the next big thing? After seeing The Rundown, one of the most joyfully silly genre films in recent history, he has my vote. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
For a mountain of muscle [The Rock]'s a surprisingly charming screen presence. And his low-key appeal helps nudge Peter Berg's derivative but good-natured light action picture in the direction of breezy entertainment, rather than painfully noisy macho posturing. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
This is basically a 10th-tier rehash of the Indiana Jones genre, laced with moments that are actually clever and exciting. Dawson is alluring, Scott is smug and bratty, Walken is terrific, and The Rock is, well, The Rock. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
For much of the film, Berg is content to act like a Michael Bay wannabe, orchestrating large action set pieces that get increasingly tiresome and WWE-like as individuals get mindlessly slammed into the dust. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Peter Berg directs the action sequences cleverly at first. Then he starts to behave as though a hornet flew down his pants at the instant he aimed the camera. He's not much of a dialogue director, but there's not much dialogue. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerDavid Hiltbrand
Somehow the star emerges from this mess smelling like pure testosterone. You can't stop the Rock. Read full review
50
The New York TimesDave Kehr
The director, Peter Berg ("Very Bad Things"), keeps the predictable story line on course without developing a truly compelling momentum in the action sequences or finding anything fresh in the interaction of the stock characters. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
The Rock has a flair for action and comedy; he's a real movie star. Read full review
50
USA TodayStaff (Not Credited)
By nature, the character (Rock) is as gentle and affable as this Amazonian adventure is -- a yarn complete with an oddball robber baron, pro football linemen, Type-A monkeys and hallucinogenic fruit. Read full review
50
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Add Christopher Walken, giving one of his patented demented performances as a Kurtz-esque mining tycoon deep in the Amazon jungle, along with some vague Hollywood politics about labor exploitation, and The Rundown is far too cheerful and good-hearted to be terrible. Read full review
50
New York PostJonathan Foreman
The Rock deserves better than The Rundown, a brisk, good- hearted but predictable and uninspired - not to mention bone-crunchingly violent - action comedy. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
The result rises to the level of mediocrity thanks largely to the magnetic presence of The Rock, who's made a smooth transition from professional wrestling to leading-man status with this and "The Scorpion King." Read full review
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