What's it all about?:Three bodybuilders try to make
it rich by kidnapping a millionaire.
The Verdict:More
pain than gain.
2.0/5.0
You have to hand it to Michael Bay (Transformers, Armageddon), he’s nothing if not consistent. He snubs subtlety again with this roided-up crime romp based on a true story.
It's very nipply out here.......
"A mildly entertaining, knuckle-headed outing that falters under the brute force of machismo."
When three opportunistic Miami body builders - Daniel (Mark Wahlberg), Paul (Dwayne Johnson) and Adrian (Anthony Mackie, The Adjustment Bureau) - swindle a millionaire with the cocky, self-help-spouting fitness evangelist Daniel leading the charge, hedonism and violence ensues.
Rebel Without a Cause
Somewhere amongst the ironic dunderheaded talk of percentage body fat, pecs and “the American dream” is a mildly entertaining, knuckle-headed outing but despite an estrogen hit from Aussie import Rebel Wilson it falters under the brute force of machismo.
This review appears in the September 2013 issue of Empire magazine.
Dwayne Johnson may still be known throughout the world as ‘The Rock’ but he’s now better known as a serious action star in the likes of films like the high-octane Faster.
In the adrenaline-fueled action film Faster behemoth Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has a role he was born to play. As Driver, he’s a man on a mission hell bent on heading straight from a ten year jail stint to avenge his brother’s murder.
At his disposal, a charging muscle car, a whopping gun and sheer fearlessness. He’ll need all that – and lots more - if he’s going to outwit a hot-in-pursuit eccentric assassin and the cops.
Johnson, keen to revisit his action roots, immediately connected to his character.
“I would go to the ends of the earth to protect my family. I think we all would,” he says. “That was something that resonated with me.”
Though an extensive back story and Clint Eastwood movies helped Johnson prepare for the role, nothing could replace hearing a range of inmate experiences first hand.
Pout and Point
“We had the great fortune of sitting down with a couple of individuals who had served a lot of time in maximum security prisons for a variety of crimes, including murder,” he says.
This allowed him to “get into their psyche, their thought process and their perspective on what it’s like to take another man’s life.”
Believe it or not, Johnson needed to then beef up his build to play imposing criminal Driver and learn to fight like a hard-bitten inmate.
But it’s clear the charismatic star had the most fun tinkering with guns and cars, enthusing “It’s a ‘big boys with toys’ dream.”
KNOW THE ROCK
Winning millions of fans as wrestling superstar ‘The Rock’, Dwayne Johnson pulverised his way further into popular culture twelve years ago to become a bona fide box office draw.
His movies, including The Scorpion King, Welcome to the Jungle, Be Cool, The Tooth Fairy and Fast Five have amassed over $US1.5 billion.
VITAL STATS
Name: Dwayne Johnson.
Nicknames: The Rock, The People's Champion, The Brahma Bull, The Great One.
Age: 40
Height: 1.93 m
Weight: 116kg.
MORE ROCK
Originally entered the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as ‘Rocky Maivia’ in 1996 as a ‘face’ or hero character.
From March 1997, was known as ‘The Rock’ and swapped sides to become a ‘heel’ or villain.
In case he forgot it, he had his name
stamped on his jocks
TheRock’s signature wrestling moves included The Samoan Drop, The People’s Elbow and Rock Bottom.
The Rock’s $US5.5 million salary for 2002’s The Scorpion King scored him a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the highest paid actor to receive top billing for the first time.
The Rock is a bestselling author with best selling autobiography The Rock Says and is a platinum recording artist via an original song of his that was included in the compilation album WWF The Music. Vol. 5
Faster airs tonight at 9.30pm on GO.
This is an edited version of a story first published in Blockbuster Interaction Magazine, July 2011.
