Residence
      Life
     
     
      by
      Rebecca
      Shorten
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Getting
      in
      at
      2:30
      in
      the
      morning:
     
     
      "...No,
      I
      don't
      have
      my
      keys.
      I
      thought
     
     
      you
      had
      yours..."
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Have
      any
      plans
      after
      graduation?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      How
      about
      building
      smart
      bridges,
     
     
      designing
      breakthrough
      computer
      technology,
     
     
      ’
      finding
      cures
      for
      disease,
      studying
      the
      world
      around
      us
     
     
      and
      a
      whole
      lot
      more.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Discover
      your
      potential...
     
     
      Get
      involved...
     
     
      See
      what
      you
      can
      do.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      graduate
      studies
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UNIVERSITY
     
     
      or
      MANITOBA
     
    
   
   
    
     
      www.umanitoba.ca/graduate_studies
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Rock
      solid
      in
     
     
      ~The
      Rundown
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Anyone
      who
      watches
      pro-
     
     
      fessional
      wrestling
      on
      a
      regular
     
     
      basis
      will
      probably
      know
      that
      your
     
     
      favorite
      superstars
      have
      to
      impro-
     
     
      vise
      and
      demonstrate
      their
      acting
     
     
      skills
      on
      a
      very
      tiring
      schedule,
     
     
      much
      like
      any
      soap
      opera
      actor,
     
     
      or
      the
      stars
      of
      your
      favorite
      televi-
     
     
      sion
      dramas.
      Couple
      that
      with
      a
     
     
      pro
      wrestler's
      weekly
      wear
      and
     
     
      tear
      that
      comes
      from
      showcasing
     
     
      their
      superb
      athletic
      abilities,
      and
     
     
      you
      have
      what
      is
      probably
      the
     
     
      most
      grinding
      job
      in
      entertainment
     
     
      today.
      So
      it
      should
      come
      as
      no
     
     
      surprise
      that
      a
      wrestler
      as
      talent-
     
     
      ed
      and
      gifted
      as
      WWE's
      The
      Rock
     
     
      would
      be
      a
      natural
      action
      star.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Rundown
      is
      the
      new
     
     
      action
      flick
      starring
      the
      aforemen-
     
     
      tioned
      Rock,
      along
      with
      Sean
     
     
      William
      Scott
      of
      American
      Pie
     
    
   
   
    
     
      fame,
      perennial
      movie
      villain
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Christopher
      Walken,
      and
      directed
     
     
      by
      Peter
      Berg,
      who
      is
      himself
      a
     
     
      veteran
      film
      and
      TV
      star.
      The
     
     
      Rock
      plays
      Beck,
      a
      "retrieval
      spe-
     
     
      cialist"
      working
      for
      a
      greedy,
      unlik-
     
     
      able
      mobster,
      sent
      to
      the
      jungles
     
     
      of
      South
      America
      to
      bring
      back
      his
     
     
      bosses
      son
      Travis
      (Scott),
      who
      is
     
     
      an
      amateurish
      but
      intelligent
     
     
      treasure
      hunter.
      The
      task
      proves
     
     
      to
      be
      one
      of
      the
      toughest
      of
     
     
      Beck's
      career
      as
      he
      runs
      into
      trou-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ble
      from
      the
      local
      kingpin,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hatcher,
      played
      by
      Walken,
      and
     
     
      worthy
      adversaries
      such
      as
      Travis'
     
     
      quasi-girlfriend
      Mariana
      (Rosario
     
     
      Dawson)
      who
      leads
      a
      tribe
      of
     
     
      rebels
      including
      the
      tough
      Manito
     
     
      (Ernie
      Reyes
      Jr.).
     
     
      The
      interplay
      between
      The
     
     
      Rock
      and
      Scott
      is
      snappy
      and,
      at
     
     
      times,
      laugh
      out
      loud
      hilarious,
      as
     
     
      each
      belligerent
      character
      seems
     
     
      to
      enjoy
      tormenting
      the
      other.
     
     
      Walken,
      an
      academy
      award
      win-
     
     
      ner,
      is
      nasty
      and
      evil
      as
      usual
      as
     
    
   
   
    
     
      he
      tries
      to
      prevent
      both
      Travis
      and
     
     
      Beck
      from
      accomplishing
      their
      -
     
     
      respective
      missions
      with
      the
      help
     
     
      of
      his
      gang
      of
      gold
      mining
      slaves.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      Walken
      also
      shows
      his
      funny
      side,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      first
      brought
      to
      public
      conscious-
     
     
      ness
      through
      his
      Saturday
      Night
     
     
      Live
      hosting
      expeditions,
      and
      suc-
     
     
      ceeds
      in
      playing
      the
      ever
      popular
     
     
      likeable
      bad-guy.
     
    

    
     
      The
      real
      bread
      and
      butter
     
     
      of
      the
      film
      are
      the
      action,
      of
     
     
      course.
      The
      Rock
      does
      most
      of
     
     
      his
      own
      stunts,
      and
      the
      scene
      in
     
     
      which
      the
      gun-shy
      Beck
      finally
     
     
      unleashes
      his
      armed
      fury
      cap-
     
     
      tures
      the
      build
      up
      climactically
      and
     
     
      is
      superbly
      done.
      Andy
      Cheng,
     
     
      whose
      previous
      work
      includes
     
     
      Daredevil,
      The
      Scorpion
      King
      and
     
     
      Rush
      Hour,
      and
      also
      as
      a
      double
     
     
      for
      Jackie
      Chan;
      coordinates
      the
     
     
      stunts.
      The
      visual
      scenery
      of
     
     
      South
      America
      is
      also
      captivating,
     
     
      and
      the
      lush
      greenery
      of
      the
      rain
     
     
      forests
      is
      contrasted
      by
      the
      grim
     
     
      desolation
      of
      Hatcher's
      slave
     
     
      mine.
     
    

    
     
      It
      will
      be
      interesting
      to
      see
     
     
      if
      The
      Rock's
      comic
      prowess
      can
     
     
      extend
      into
      a
      movie
      where
      he
      is
     
     
      the
      sole
      headliner,
      but
      if
      The
     
     
      Rundown
      is
      any
      indication,
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      era's
      most
      popular
      wrestlers
     
     
      could
      be
      the
      Sly
      Stallone
      or
      Jean-
     
     
      Claude
      Van
      Damme
      of
      our
      gener-
     
     
      ation.
      The
      Rock
      has
      all
      the
      attrib-
     
     
      utes
      that
      could
      make
      him
      a
      mar-
     
     
      ketable
      star:
      timing,
      looks,
      and
     
     
      perhaps
      most
      importantly,
      an
     
     
      established
      fan
      base
      that
      stems
     
     
      from
      his
      WWE
      popularity
      and
     
     
      charisma.
     
    

    
     
      Whether
      you
      like
      pro
     
     
      wrestling
      or
      not,
      for
      an
      entertain-
     
     
      ing
      evening
      at
      a
      movie
      with
      top
     
     
      notch
      action
      sequences,
      a
      plot
     
     
      that
      holds
      your
      attention,
      and
      a
     
     
      team
      of
      some
      of
      the
      most
      bank-
     
     
      able
      entertainers
      in
      Hollywood,
     
     
      you
      should
      run
      out
      to
      The
     
     
      Rundown.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -:page
      [19]
      October
      13,
      2003:.