The Rundown – Welcome to the Jungle (2003)

Plot of The Rundown: Beck, a debt collector for gang boss Billy Walker is offered big money if he will go to the Amazon jungle to bring back Walker’s errant son, Travis. It is to be his last job, offering finance for him to open a restaurant. In a jungle town he comes across Travis in a bar, and with the authority of the local big man Hatcher, sets off to take him back to America. However, Travis tells him that he is in the track of a golden artefact, and Hatcher is chasing him. So off they go into the jungle having a number of adventures before being joined by Mariana, a rebel group leader and together they eventually get to the location of the artefact, a golden cat. But they are chased by Hatcher and his men, who have machine guns. Mariana  manages to disable the guys and steals the cat, but in turn is captured by Hatcher. Will she be rescued?

Content: There is no sex or nudity, some drinking in bars and nightclubs and at least one accidental consumption of a paralysing fruit. We see Back at work recovering a bauble from a footballer. Pretty soon we are in the jungle where Beck captures Travis who then spends most of the film handcuffed. We meet Hatcher who controls an open cast gold mine employing many people. Out in the jungle Beck and Travis meet a rebel group led by Marian, who we thought was a barmaid. There is a fight of some length. There is a lot of trogging through the jungle, while they are chased by Hatcher and his men in motorised vehicles. They get to the Cat in a sort of Indiana Jones scene. At various points they are assisted by a small plane pilot, Declan. There is a showdown when Declan, Beck and Travis take on Hatcher to rescue Mariana.

A View: My description of the plot makes it sound slightly better than it is. In fact Sean William Scott, playing his usual irritating persona, said that they were making it up as they went along. Ewen Bremner played Northern Irish for some reason. Surely being Scottish would have been good enough, but The Rock was excellent and Rosario  Dawson did sultry very well. So, despite its failings it was still quite well thought of by the critics although it still did not make any money. You could have it on while doing your knitting.

Fun Fact: While scouting for locations in the Amazon the director and the producer were robbed by villains. They relocated to Hawaii.