With the Disney channel having turned an entire generation of American actors into hair farmer milk babies, there’s a been major hole for tough guys who can play the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Bruce Willis/Steve McQueen-type roles, and Jason Statham can only fill it so many times. The Rock, who was a pro wrestler, but actually seems charismatic and likable, has long seemed like a logical candidate, but so far, his filmography thus far has been more Hulk Hogan than Arnold (hastag subtle burn). Snitch opens February, and at the very least it seems somewhat aimed at adults. It co-stars Michael K. Williams (OMAR!), Susan Sarandon, and Barry Pepper (who really doesn’t get enough work), and The Rock plays a truck driver who infiltrates a drug cartel for the police in exchange for keeping his son out of prison. In the end, I’m sure we’ll all learn an important lesson about how when you mess with drugs, you’re gambling with your future, just like in that afternoon special where Ben Affleck ruins his life because of steroids.
Inspired by true events, the film stars Johnson as a father whose teenage son is wrongly accused of a drug distribution crime and is looking at a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years. Desperate and determined to rescue his son at all costs, he makes a deal with the U.S. Attorney to work as an undercover informant and infiltrate a drug cartel on a dangerous mission- risking everything, including his family and his own life.
Snitch was directed by Ric Roman Waugh, a long time stunt coordinator who last directed 2008′s Felon, which scored 61% on the Tomatometer despite starring Stephen Dorff and Val Kilmer as a badass ex-con, which seems like a coup. The trailer… could go either way. I think I was with it until the rap-metal kicked in. I mean, I like the truck driver-trying-to-make-good-by-his-son angle, but maybe instead of infiltrating a drug gang, he could go win a big arm wrestling tournament instead? Has that ever been done? I don’t know, I’m just spitballing here.
[via Yahoo, opens February 22nd]
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Omar’s in it? Sold.
Was Faster terrible? I only saw the opening seen where The Rock gets out of prison and immediately walks into an office and shoots a guy in the face, but it seemed like a promising start.
It wasn’t as good as the trailer of course. I had high hopes for a good R rated action flick with the Rock. It wasn’t terrible though. Just mediocre. Fast Five was a lot more fun. I can’t believe I would ever utter those words, but that movie was a blast.
I’ll second the notion that Fast Five was much better than it had any right to be.
I thought Faster was a really good genre movie. WAY better than it had any right to be.
Faster was easily better than about 80% of the crap out there. Totally welcome as a “fuck it, this is an action movie, shut up and watch the guns” type of flick. The pretty-boy assassin was pretty superfluous though.
Fast Five is a great way to kill 2 hours and change. Crazy chases and lots of guns. And no one takes it too goddamned seriously.
Fast was decent. It had a lot of cool set ups that just never really came together (I really don’t get the hitman thing at all).
Yeah, my interest also checks out whenever rap-metal starts in a trailer, or movie, or rap-metal concert.
He should have been Jack Reacher
Oh man… I didn’t even think of that, but he would have fit perfectly.
Good call
Please tell me there’s a scene in this movie where the Rock’s character has to wear a wig as part of his undercover gig. Either a long-haired wig a la Garth from Wayne’s World or a jewfro, either one would be acceptable.
The sad thing is that the Rock turned down a chance to replace Bryan Cranston as Walter White in Breaking Bad to make this movie.
Wait what?
like all The Rock action films, i will be watching the ever loving crap out of this more than once
McTiernan or Verhoeven need to take control and make an actual good violent movie for him to do. I miss my childhood.
First you might need to bust McTiernan out of jail, maybe with the Rock’s help. I think I just came up with a new script for Michael Bay.
Zero love for “The Rundown?” Really??
I still haven’t seen it. I apologize. I’m self-flagellating as we speak.
Vince, you may want to edit that comment. I don’t think “flagellate” and “stimulate” mean the same thing.
It’s dopey action-y throwback to the 80s without copious amounts of blood.
You had the Rock beating the shit out of people, Christopher Walken Walken-ing it up, and Stifler being not too annoying. What’s not to love?
The Tooth Fairy monologue is about as Walken as it gets.
The “That’s a lot of cows” line is pretty Walken, too
Vince, I don’t want to seem to be crapping in my mess kit here, but it SEEMS like, with your highfalutin comments, that you MIGHT be denigrating the good name of “Over the Top”, the single greatest movie of all time.
Now I like making snarky and inane remarks here just as much as the next guy or gal (or more likely guy pretending to be a gal), but that kind of thing simply cannot stand. Next time you make some comment like that, just remember this, us commenters can turn our trucker hats around too Vince, we can turn them around too. If you thought Stallone working out his arm in his truck was impressive, you should see what spending years in Mom’s basement with only old Penthouse Letters and not being ambidextrous can do to a guys arm.
Eh oh, it’s like a switch, ya nah mean?
Still the biggest missed opportunity of Over the Top was the fact that Stallone’s last name was “Hawk,” and his son, who’d taken his mother’s last name, was named “Mike.” I truly believe there’s a deleted scene out there with the boy tearfully shouting “My name is Mike Hawk!” during an emotional reunion.
Second biggest missed opportunity. I’d give my next paycheque up if there was a scene with Robert Loggia kicking a jukebox, in turn starting up “Over the Top” by Motörhead, somewhere in the world
See, that’s what The Rundown was missing. Arm wrestling.
Why the F doesn’t TNT show that movie anymore? It used to be on all the time.
Vince, I think “Mike Hawk needs servicing” while pulling into a truck stop would have been better, but still, well played.
I think both Barry Pepper and Benjamin Bratt deserve better careers than they’re being dealt.
I’m sure I’ll get snarked for loving the True Grit remake, but Barry Pepper fucking killed it in his way too small role.
Also, Knockaround Guys rules. Suck it.
“Steven McQueen”?
Are you our substitute teacher?
Vince Mancini: Ribbed for our pleasure.
That was a typo, now stop putting thumb tacks on my chair.
Hastag steven mcqueen is trenting.
Nobody else liked ‘Doom’? Just me?
Yes. just you. Karl Urban’s mom won’t watch that movie.
I guess I’m a rock apologist but Rundown, Scorpion King, Faster, Walking Tall and Fast Five were all boss.
Okay, I admit I need to see The Rundown, Walking Tall, and Faster, but Fast Five was at least 50% WWE-storyline-level backstory.
Walking Tall and The Rundown were good but theyre 8-10 years ago. Faster sucked.
If there’s one reason to see Fast Five with high expectations, it’s certainly the writing.
Pinky out, Vince. Pinky out.
No the Scorpion King was bad. I don’t blame The Rock, but it was really bad.
I really like The Rock. FWIW he also got playing time on the defensive line at The U back when they were REALLY The U. Also, I’d argue that The Rock and Arnold’s filmographies aren’t all that different, just that The Rock veered into Arnold’s “Junior” period faster than Arnold did. He also doesn’t have an iconic franchise like Arnold does with the Terminator movies, but I am holding out hope that he gets a good one sometime soon.
Vince are you holding out any hope for the Michael Bay movie he’s doing with Wahlberg? The plot/story sounds kind of cool, and if Bay can be reined in a little bit…?
The Rock cooks up ‘Snitch,’ smells like Snatch…