A father goes undercover for the DEA in order to free his son who was imprisoned after being set up in drug deal.
While not the balls-out action movie the marketing suggests, this Rock-powered family drama is not with its moments.
Heroically daft, and the lack of shirtless scenes leaves The Rock in a hard place.
Overall it's a solid thriller that hints at a life beyond blockbusters for its leading man.
The drama is underscored with an earnest commentary on America’s broken drugs laws, which leaves the film in the awkward position of being neither clever nor stupid enough to work.
Johnson has the acting chops for this more dramatic fare and the story is exciting and thought-provoking.
Johnson is an OK actor, but with that granitic bulk of his he's all wrong for the ordinary-joe part. And the risks he takes are absurd to the point of psychotic: it's a natural impulse to save your son, but you surely don't do it by endangering your whole family.
Good intentions are all but submerged in nonsense.
While not the balls-out action movie the marketing suggests, this Rock-powered family drama is not with its moments.
Not as dim as it looks
Teeth are gritted, shaven-heads stroked, families hugged, moist-eyes blinked – but it's the sight of big things getting smashed to pieces that endures, and ultimately bores.
What follows gets even more outlandish, but decent performances keep things credible.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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