Action stars have no glory when they are old and wrinkled; they get no "Old Timer's Day," so every two decades or so, we must crown a new batch of them (as the old ones become more fit to battle osteoporosis, rather than bad guys.)
When Victor Mature and Charlton Heston became too old to pick up boulders or kill "damn dirty apes" in their films, along came an Italian stud and an Austrian Terminator. Both are now too old or too busy governing a state to make action films, so along comes the new batch. The ringleader of the new hero bunch is, arguably, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Johnson recently visited the Valley to promote his upcoming film, Walking Tall, along with other projects he's been cookin'.
Inspired by a true story, Walking Tall is about Chris Vaughn (Johnson) who returns from serving his country, only to find his hometown corrupted by a greedy former neighborhood friend. The corrupt entrepreneur has closed down the town's main source of income, a paper mill, which has left Vaughn's father without a job. In its place, a Casino has been erected, which is the new source of money. Along with the casino comes immense corruption, drug trafficking and oppression.
"He died in '68 or '69 on the side of a highway when his car was believed to have been tampered with," Johnson says of the real life person, Bradford Pusser, who inspired his role. "He had a lot of enemies, having shut down 87 whiskey stills in one year, and he shut down all the prostitution and bootlegging."
Pusser was an everyman who became a sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee in 1964. Stories of the fencepost-wielding sheriff became legendary, and to this day, he has a loyal following.
In adapting Pusser's story for the big screen, many changes have been made, though Johnson promises Pusser's spirit and what he stood for has been retained. The story, however, has been updated to the present, and Tennessee has been changed to the Pacific Northwest.
The plot of the film seems very cut and dry; man comes to town, only to be faced with corruption. Reluctant to join and prosper from the corruption, he becomes an adversary to the bad guys. The bad guys do something that leaves the good guy with no choice but to retaliate. Reluctantly, the everyman becomes a hero, saving the town from the clutches of corruption and dirty money.
We have seen so many variations on this plot: Patrick Swayze's Roadhouse, Morgan Freeman's Lean On Me or Stallone's recent remake, Get Carter. True story or not, Walking Tall isn't about the story; heck, it may not even be about the action. What this movie has is ... The Rock-likely the next mega action star, and who knows? He may even be the next California Governor.
The former WWF wrestler, who has been rigorously launching his acting career, has gotten some favorable attention for his acting. First, he was praised for a hilarious turn hosting Saturday Night Live in 2002. Then, he went onto playing the lackluster Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King. However, he began to get the right kind of attention as a mob muscle, in The Rundown. Critics praised him for his comedic timing, leading man looks and action star quality.
Next, Johnson will be playing Elliot Wilhelm in the sequel to Get Shorty. "I play this Samoan guy, trying to break into Hollywood," Johnson says. "He's John Travolta's nemesis, but he secretly wants to be in movies. [He acts] like 'I belong in Hollywood,' with a big Afro-and I'm gay in the film."
Directed by Friday's F. Gary Gray and based on Elmore Leonard's novel, Be Cool promises to be a funny and witty sequel, with Travolta, Danny DeVito and James Gandolfini, all reprising their roles.
Dwayne Johnson has come a long way since his lowbrow days as The Rock in WWF. He has shown range in his talent, maneuvering through comedy, action and melodrama, all with relative ease.
For the follow-up to Be Cool, it seems he may be clenching his throne as the next prolific action hero; he will be bringing the high-octane videogame world of Spy Hunter to the big screen.
"Wait 'til you see it (the movie). GM's making the car," Johnson says. "Remember the old Calico videogame? This just blows it away; it's just awesome, man."
Fanboys everywhere will be looking for the ultra-cool car, but there will be a far more impressive machine on the screen-The Rock-and he's cookin' up an action movie career that will be a far cry from his wrasslin' days.
Reach the reporter at saman.mehrazar@asu.edu.
