View source for The Rundown

{{short description|2003 film by Peter Berg}}
{{About|the 2003 film|other uses|Rundown (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Rundown
| image          = The Rundown Movie.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Peter Berg]]
| producer       = {{ubl|[[Marc Abraham]]|Bill Corless|Karen Glasser|[[Kevin Misher]]}}
| screenplay     = {{ubl|R.J. Stewart|[[James Vanderbilt]]}}
| story          = R.J. Stewart
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Dwayne Johnson|The Rock]]
* [[Seann William Scott]]
* [[Christopher Walken]]
* [[Rosario Dawson]]
* [[Ewen Bremner]]
}}
| music          = [[Harry Gregson-Williams]]
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Universal Pictures]]<ref name="AFI">{{cite web|title=The Rundown|url=http://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/62888|website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|access-date=February 26, 2018}}</ref>
* [[Columbia Pictures]]<ref name="AFI" />
* [[Strike Entertainment]]<ref name="LAT">{{cite news|last1=Turan|first1=Kenneth|title=Rock-ribbed 'Rundown'|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-sep-26-et-turan26-story.html|access-date=February 26, 2018|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=September 26, 2003}}</ref>
* [[WWE Studios|WWE Films]]<ref name="LAT" />
}}
| cinematography = [[Tobias A. Schliessler]]
| editing        = [[Richard Pearson (film editor)|Richard Pearson]]
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* Universal Pictures<br />(United States, Canada and Japan)
* [[Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group#Sony Pictures Releasing|Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International]] (International)
}}
| released       = {{Film date|2003|09|26}}
| runtime        = 104 minutes
| language       = English
| budget         = $85 million
| country        = United States
| gross          = $80.9 million
}}
'''''The Rundown''''' (known internationally as '''''Welcome to the Jungle''''') is a 2003 American [[action comedy]] film directed by [[Peter Berg]] and written by [[James Vanderbilt]] and R.J. Stewart from a story by Stewart. It follows an aspiring chef working as a debt collector for a loan shark who is tasked with retrieving the loan shark's son, who went to Brazil to search for a lost artifact. The film stars [[Dwayne Johnson]],{{efn|Credited under his [[ring name]] "The Rock".}} [[Seann William Scott]], [[Christopher Walken]] and [[Rosario Dawson]].

The film was released by [[Universal Pictures]] in the United States, Canada and Japan and by [[Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group#Sony Pictures Releasing|Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International]] under the [[Columbia Pictures]] label internationally on September 26, 2003. It received positive reviews but was a box office failure, grossing $80.9 million on an $85 million budget. The film managed to get a huge [[cult following]] in the years since.<ref name="BOM">{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl997164545/|title=The Rundown (2003) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=September 14, 2012}}</ref>

== Plot ==
Beck is an aspiring chef who works as a debt collector for loan shark and bookie Billy Walker. He is sent to a nightclub to retrieve a championship ring from a [[American football|football]] player, after which he is assaulted by one of Billy's other collectors. Angry, he tells Billy that he wants out of the business. Billy insists that he undertake one final job: retrieve Billy's son Travis from a small mining town in [[Brazil]], for which Beck will be given enough money to open his own restaurant. He accepts and leaves for Brazil.

Arriving in the town of El Dorado, Beck meets Cornelius Hatcher, who runs the town's mining operation. Hatcher charges Beck ten thousand dollars for his permission to take Travis home, but reneges after he finds out Travis has discovered a lost golden artifact known as O Gato do Diablo (the Devil's Cat). Hatcher and his men confront Beck in the local bar, but he manages to fend them off and leave with Travis. On the way back to the airfield, Travis forces the pair's [[Jeep]] off the road and into the jungle. He attempts to escape but is recaptured by Beck. After an unfortunate encounter with some monkeys, the two find themselves in the camp of a local rebel movement.

Travis convinces the rebels that Beck works for Hatcher and was sent to kill them all. Beck gains the upper hand in the ensuing fight before the rebel leader Mariana, whom Beck met earlier at the bar, intervenes. She wants the Gato so it can be used to ensure the locals can free themselves from Hatcher, but Hatcher and his men suddenly attack the camp and kill many rebels. Beck, Travis, and Mariana escape the camp and Beck makes Mariana a deal: she helps him get Travis to the airfield in exchange for the Gato. After some searching, Travis leads them to a cave behind a waterfall where the Gato is located. They retrieve it and begin the journey back.

On the way back, Mariana chastises Travis for wanting to sell the artifact, but he argues that he actually wants to give it to a museum. She gives Beck and Travis a toxic fruit that temporarily paralyzes them, tells Beck which direction the airfield is, and leaves them with a campfire to keep the animals away. After regaining the ability to move, Beck hauls Travis to the airfield. The local pilot, Declan, tells Beck that Mariana was captured earlier by Hatcher and will probably be killed. Travis pleads with Beck to help her and the two head into town to rescue her.

Using a cow stampede for cover, Beck and Travis begin their assault on Hatcher's men. Travis becomes trapped by gunfire in a bus, and Beck saves him before it explodes. Hatcher tells his brother Harvey to flee with Mariana and the Gato, but they are stopped by Travis. Hatcher confronts Beck, who offers him the chance to leave town, which Hatcher refuses. After he is shot by the townspeople, Hatcher agrees to leave town, but eventually dies from his wounds. Travis gives the Gato to Mariana before leaving with Beck, who tells him that he must still return Travis to the United States despite all they have been through together.

Back in [[Los Angeles]], Travis is delivered to Billy, who verbally and physically abuses him. Beck asks to celebrate with them and gives Billy and his men the same fruit Mariana used on him and Travis. As everyone else is temporarily paralyzed, Beck uncuffs Travis and the two leave together.

== Cast ==
* [[Dwayne Johnson]] as Beck, a skilled bounty hunter and aspiring chef who works for Billy and reluctantly agrees to retrieve Travis, the former's estranged son
* [[Seann William Scott]] as Travis Walker, a fast-talking treasure hunter who is searching El Dorado for a lost artifact "El Gato de Diablo" and Billy's estranged son
* [[Christopher Walken]] as Cornelius Bernard Hatcher, the owner of the mining operation and founder of the town of El Dorado. The film's primary antagonist
* [[Rosario Dawson]] as Mariana, the town bartender who is also the secret leader of the local resistance against Cornelius
* [[Ewen Bremner]] as Declan, the Scottish pilot who aids Beck
* [[Jon Gries]] as Harvey Hatcher, Cornelius' younger brother and main enforcer
* [[Ernie Reyes Jr.]] as Manito, a resistance fighter who engages Beck in a prolonged fight using his skill in [[capoeira]]
* [[William Lucking]] as Billy Walker, Travis's father, a loan shark and bookie who uses Beck to collect debts
* [[Antonio Muñoz (actor)|Antonio Muñoz]] as Kontiki Rebel
* [[Stephen Bishop (actor)|Stephen Bishop]] as Knappmiller, a football player who owes Billy money from gambling debts
* [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] as a bar patron (uncredited cameo)

== Production ==
The movie was originally called ''Helldorado''. It was offered to director [[Peter Berg]], who had only made one film, ''Very Bad Things''. Looking for inspiration on how to do it, Berg bought a DVD titled ''The 50 Best Fights Ever Filmed'', which at first demotivated him: "I just thought, 'Good God, it's all been done and it's all been done so well, probably with more money than I'm going to have. What am I going to do?'" He then saw the fight between [[Roddy Piper]] and [[Keith David]] in ''[[They Live]]'', about which he said, "It just hurt watching it. It was a completely different style from all these sexy and sleek movies. And thinking about it, I couldn't remember the last time in a movie fight where I felt the pain, where if you got hit in the face, it hurt. So that's where I found my breathing room: let's give people old-school guys slugging it out with big punches."<ref name="pain">{{cite news|title=Peter Berg wants you to feel their pain: [HOME Edition] |last=Whipp |first=Glenn |work=Los Angeles Times |date=26 September 2003 |page=K12}}</ref> Producer Kevin Misher described the film as "''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark|Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark]]'' meets ''[[Romancing the Stone]]'' with a little bit of ''[[Midnight Run]]''".<ref>{{cite news|title=ROCK 'n' roll 'em: In spite of a little bloodshed, all's heavenly on the set of the film formerly known as 'Helldorado'|last=Ryan |first= Tim |work=Honolulu Star |date= 22 October 2002}}</ref>

[[Dwayne Johnson]], who was credited under his [[ring name]] The Rock, was paid $12.5 million for his role. Berg said of his performance, "This movie could have been a dark, vicious action thriller. But the fact that it's playful and funny is a tribute to The Rock. He's a charming, charismatic and very smart man."<ref>{{cite news|title=Man of Action! ** Former Bethlehem resident The Rock is on a roll with 'The Rundown': [SECOND Edition] |first=Amy |last=Longsdorf |work=The Morning Call |date=20 September 2003 |page=D1 |url= https://www.mcall.com/2003/09/20/man-of-action-former-bethlehem-resident-the-rock-is-on-a-roll-with-the-rundown/ |access-date=August 23, 2024}}</ref>

Berg and Misher were held up by armed robbers in Brazil in June 2002 while scouting locations,<ref>{{cite news|title=Team behind The Rock's latest film robbed on location |date=21 June 2002}}{{full citation needed|date=August 2024}}</ref> prompting them to film in [[Hawaii]] instead. Shooting began in September 2002, with [[Seann William Scott]] later stating "we just basically made up as we went along".<ref name="pain"/> One scene on [[Oahu]] involved Johnson and Scott falling down the side of a mountain. Berg said, "The goal was to put the biggest fall down a hill in a movie that people have ever seen. The big inspiration was the old ''[[Wide World of Sports (American TV program)|Wide World of Sports]]''{{emdash}}'and the agony of defeat'{{emdash}}and wondering what would have happened if that poor bastard on the ski slope had had a few more stages to go." Johnson's regular stuntman refused to do the stunt, so they hired "a guy who has a reputation for just doing anything" who was knocked out the first time.<ref name="pain"/>

[[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] has a cameo in the film. He visited [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] during the shoot and was having lunch with Johnson when Berg asked if he would like to appear in the film, and Schwarzenegger agreed if they could do it immediately.<ref>{{cite news|title=Arnold to Rock: I'll be backing you up in your movie: [National Edition] |work=National Post |date=23 September 2003 |page= AL04}}</ref> His cameo as a bar patron who passes by Johnson's character and simply tells him to "have fun" is widely regarded as a veiled reference to the fact that Johnson's career as a Hollywood [[action hero|action star]] was just beginning as Schwarzenegger's was winding down.<ref>https://movieweb.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-cameo-the-rundown/</ref>

== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
Despite the positive reviews, ''The Rundown'' was a significant box office failure, grossing just under $81 million worldwide compared to its $85 million budget,<ref name="BOM" /> which makes a sequel not entirely likely. Director Peter Berg has expressed interest in making a sequel to the film but notes that "no one can ever get motivated and focused enough to do it."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/features/37397-exclusive-the-kingdom-s-peter-berg |title=Exclusive: The Kingdom's Peter Berg |website= ComingSoon.net |date=2007-09-21 |access-date=2012-05-13}}</ref>

=== Critical response ===
On the review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''The Rundown'' holds an approval rating of 69% based on 150 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critical consensus states, "''The Rundown'' doesn't break any new ground, but it's a smart, funny buddy action picture with terrific comic chemistry between Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Seann William Scott."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rundown/|title=The Rundown |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |access-date=March 7, 2025}}</ref> At [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 59 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rundown|title=The Rundown |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|work=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=September 14, 2012}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemascore.com|title=Find CinemaScore|format=Type "Rundown, The" in the search box|publisher=[[CinemaScore]]|access-date=November 12, 2025}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film 3{{frac|1|2}} stars out of 4, saying "The jungle locations give the film a texture and beauty that underlines the out-sized characters."<ref>{{cite web| last = Ebert| first = Roger| author-link = Roger Ebert| title = The Rundown| date =September 26, 2003| url =https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-rundown |website=RogerEbert.com | access-date =June 23, 2022}}</ref>

== Possible sequel ==
In December 2009, Berg acknowledged that discussions for a sequel had begun shortly after the film's release and were still ongoing. He cited scheduling conflicts as to why the project had not yet been [[Green-light|green-lit]].<ref name="Sequel_Collider">{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/director-peter-berg-opens-the-floodgates-on-battleship-also-talks-hancock-2-and-a-possible-sequel-to-the-rundown/|work=Collider|title=Director Peter Berg Opens the Floodgates on BATTLESHIP; Also Talks HANCOCK 2 and a Possible Sequel to THE RUNDOWN|last=Goldberg |first=Matt|date=December 1, 2009|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref> Johnson corroborated this in November 2010, stating that he and Berg "are always discussing options" for a sequel; he said that the pair are also in negotiations with Universal Pictures, and expressed confidence that the sequel will be made if a good enough script is written.<ref name="Sequel_Collider2">{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/dwayne-johnson-interview-faster-fast-five-the-rundown-2/|work=Collider|title=FASTER THE CHRONICLES: Dwayne Johnson - Exclusive Interview that Covers FASTER, FAST FIVE, THE OTHER GUYS, 3D, More|last=Weintraub |first=Steve|date=November 15, 2010|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref>

Berg announced in December 2013 that he was officially developing a sequel, confirming that Johnson was still interested while Scott would not return. A number of undisclosed screenwriters were hired for the project.<ref name="Sequel_Collider3">{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/the-rundown-2-sequel-writers-peter-berg/|work=Collider|title=Peter Berg Says He's Meeting with Writers for a Sequel to THE RUNDOWN; Looking to Team Dwayne Johnson with an Unnamed Actor|last=Goldberg |first=Matt|date=December 9, 2013|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Sequel_Collider4">{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/peter-berg-lone-survivor-rundown-2-sequel-interview/|work=Collider|title=Director Peter Berg Talks LONE SURVIVOR, Having SEALs On Set Every Day, Damon Lindelof's THE LEFTOVERS, THE RUNDOWN Sequel, and More|last=Weintraub |first= Steve|date=January 9, 2014|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Sequel_SF">{{cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/529420/sequel-bits-300-rise-of-an-empire-22-jump-street-the-rundown-2-human-centipede-3/|work=Slash Film|title=Sequel Bits: '300: Rise Of An Empire', '22 Jump Street', 'The Rundown 2', 'Human Centipede 3'|last=Han |first=Angie|date=December 12, 2013|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref> By September 2016, Berg stated that the sequel had been written with [[Kevin Hart]] in mind as the co-star due to his recent work as Johnson's co-star in multiple successful films, while also stating that he would alternatively consider making the film with [[Jonah Hill]] in the role. Johnson publicly confirmed his involvement with the project while proposing ''HellDorado'' (the first film's [[working title]]) as a possible title. The pair asked fans to campaign for Hill to sign on as his co-star.<ref name="Sequel_Collider5">{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/the-rundown-2-peter-berg-jonah-hill-dwayne-johnson/|work=Collider|title=Exclusive: Peter Berg Wants Jonah Hill Opposite Dwayne Johnson in 'The Rundown 2'|last=Trumbore |first= Dave|date=September 13, 2016|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Sequel_Collider6">{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/peter-berg-deepwater-horizon-patriots-day-interview/|work=Collider|title=Peter Berg on What Inspired Him to Make 'Deepwater Horizon' and 'Patriots Day'|last=Weintraub |first=Steve|date=September 29, 2016|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Sequel_DJ">{{cite tweet|number=776119291594706944|user=TheRock|title= Down with this exclusive. Luv Jonah! The original title of The Rundown was #HellDorado. We should call it that.. |last=Johnson |first=Dwayne|date=September 14, 2016|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Sequel_SF2">{{cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/546519/the-rundown-sequel/|work=Slash Film|title=Peter Berg Wants To Make 'The Rundown 2' With Jonah Hill|last=Giroux |first=Jack|date=September 13, 2016|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref>

In August 2018, Berg revealed that the current draft of the script included a story that took place in [[Alaska]] with a comedic scene involving walruses, similar to the scene with baboons from the first movie. Acknowledging that Johnson had expressed disinterest in Alaska, Berg stated that a new draft is being written with a less frigid location.<ref name="Sequel_Collider7">{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/the-rundown-2-update/|work=Collider|title=Peter Berg Says a Version of 'The Rundown' Sequel Took Place in Alaska, Featured Walruses|last=Goldberg |first=Matt|date=August 10, 2018|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref> Berg said in September 2020 that development for a sequel is ongoing, citing Johnson's busy production schedule as one of the reasons it has not yet been made and admitting that they are currently "rethink[ing] the script".<ref name="Sequel_Collider8">{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/peter-berg-interview-nfl-commercial-tom-brady-marshawn-lynch-doritos/|work=Collider|title=Peter Berg on Directing Tom Brady and Marshawn Lynch in His New NFL Commercial|last=Weintraub |first= Steve|date=September 9, 2020|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Sequel_Collider9">{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/rihanna-documentary-amazon-release-date-peter-berg/|work=Collider|title=Exclusive: Amazon's Rihanna Documentary Is Finally Coming Next Summer|last=Reimann |first= Tom|date=September 3, 2020|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 2003]]
* [[Dwayne Johnson filmography]]
* [[Arnold Schwarzenegger filmography]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0327850}}
* {{Mojo title|rundown}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|rundown}}

{{Peter Berg}}
{{WWE Studios}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rundown, The}}
[[Category:2003 films]]
[[Category:2003 action films]]
[[Category:2003 action comedy films]]
[[Category:2003 comedy films]]
[[Category:2000s action adventure films]]
[[Category:2000s adventure comedy films]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:2000s buddy comedy films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:American action adventure films]]
[[Category:American action comedy films]]
[[Category:American adventure comedy films]]
[[Category:American buddy action films]]
[[Category:American buddy comedy films]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Peter Berg]]
[[Category:Films produced by Marc Abraham]]
[[Category:Films scored by Harry Gregson-Williams]]
[[Category:Films set in Brazil]]
[[Category:Films set in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films shot in Hawaii]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by James Vanderbilt]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films about bounty hunters]]
[[Category:WWE Studios films]]
[[Category:English-language action adventure films]]
[[Category:English-language action comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language adventure comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language buddy comedy films]]