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
75
Entertainment WeeklyScott Brown
The Rundown is actually a lot of fun, mostly because The Rock, simply by standing there and being The Rock, cancels out Scott entirely. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterSheri Linden
Those not in the smackdown frame of mind will find an overabundance of head-butts, body slams and pounding aural effects -- this is a definite contender for loudest film of the year -- but also will discover instances of innovative, spectacular stuntwork and, though the comic interplay often falls flat, a story with heart. Read full review
70
NewsweekDavid Ansen
The Rock and Scott work up some nice comic chemistry, but it’s the dependably warped Walken who steals the most scenes. The frenetically edited fight sequences will satisfy the blood lust of the target audience. Read full review
70
VarietyLael Loewenstein
Cements the Rock's status as a contempo action hero with a bigscreen future. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
Surprisingly airy, jungle-set adventure, boisterously winking at Huston, Peckinpah and the same Saturday-morning serials that birthed Indiana Jones. R.J. Stewart and James Vanderbilt's tongue-in-cheek script, a hybridization of "Midnight Run" and "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," provides lots of amusing byplay for its two mismatched stars. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
Johnson, who was computer-generated in "Mummy" and only looked it in "Scorpion King," keeps it engaging, displaying a comedic knack first revealed during his Saturday Night Live appearance in 2000; he has the timing of a Rolex, even when playing straight man to American Pie's Stifler. Read full review
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
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
70
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Turns out he's infinitely more likable than Vin Diesel, who carries his sense of stardom through every movie like an insufferable Atlas. In fact, Dwayne Johnson is a gentleman, the kind of Rock who puts you in a very easy place. 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
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Has what we usually want to see in movies like this: bravura action, tongue-in-cheek humor, but most of all attitude. 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
63
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Doesn't break any new ground, but it doesn't leave you wishing you had stayed home, either. Considering the state of action movies today, that's something. 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
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Comes on like a runaway Humvee. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Quite a bit of fun. In fact, in its own good-natured, silly way, it works better than most of the year's other adventure-gutbusters. 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
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Offers everything a good movie of this sort should: plenty of suspenseful action, a few good laughs, and a share of obligatory "reluctant buddy" bonding. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
There's no doubt, though, that The Rundown will be a crowd-pleaser, despite a forgettable title and lots of roughness around the production's edges. It's a comedy-adventure with a frivolous soul.
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
67
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
It's fun, albeit a little messy, under the frequently punchy direction of Peter Berg. 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
80
Washington PostStephen Hunter
There've been dozens of shotgun movies, most of them directed by Sam Peckinpah ("The Wild Bunch," "The Getaway") but Berg is inventive...All this, and Christopher Walken too? What more could a fella ask for? Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Once in the jungle they have all sorts of harrowing adventures, and I enjoyed it that real things were happening, that we were not simply looking at shoot-outs and chases, but at intriguing and daring enterprise. 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
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
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
An amiable action-comedy, amiable enough that the laughs come in a steady drizzle if not a torrent, and that the action is something blissfully less than the usual full-out assault on our battered senses. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
An action-adventure flick that could turn into this generation's "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
The screenplay is laced with wit and sharp dialogue, and the supporting cast more than makes up for Johnson's inexperience and occasional stiffness. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
The action sequences are novel, the performances are slightly askew, and the camera work is vigorous and mostly effective. Read full review
30
Village VoiceMark Holcomb
To call this action gambit formulaic is to sell it short: The Rundown runs down more formulas than a month's worth of complimentary premium cable service. 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
75
PremiereSusannah Gora
Surprisingly clever, high-energy adventure (director Peter Berg should be proud). Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Like rocky road ice cream, The Rundown is chunky stuff, full of calories and easy to take in small doses. Also like rocky road, it’s bound to attract flies if you leave it lying around, and, more to the point, too much of it is likely to make you gag. Read full review
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