Thank God. I’ve always liked Dwayne Johnson. Even when he was just a wrestler, you could tell he was the best showman of them all, at least at the time. The guy commands attention, and audiences are happy to give it. His big screen debut with THE SCORPION KING (or THE MUMMY RETURNS, if you wanna count that Scorpion King cameo) was decent, but lacked any sort of enduring qualities. But when he turned in THE RUNDOWN with director Peter Berg, suddenly I began to see tremendous amounts of potential with the wrestler-turned-star. Sadly, since then his other roles have been pretty lackluster. There was a forgettable remake of WALKING TALL, a misguided adaptation of the video game DOOM, Richard Kelly’s self-indulgent and utterly pointless SOUTHLAND TALES, and mostly embarassing kid fare like THE GAME PLAN, RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN, and THE TOOTH FAIRY. The point is, after THE RUNDOWN, I think most of us have been waiting for Johnson to get back to that hard-edged action style which he handled so well… at least back in 2003. And now we may finally be getting just that. The new film FASTER (from George Tillman Jr., the writer and director of SOUL FOOD… but don’t worry about that) promises some big action scenes, fast cars, and a great cast – which includes Billy Bob Thornton, Maggie Grace, Moon Bloodgood, Carla Gugino, and Tom Berenger (who should be called The Comeback Kid these days).
Here’s the official studio synopsis for the film:
After 10 years in prison, Driver has a singular focus – to avenge the murder of his brother during the botched bank robbery that led to his imprisonment. Now a free man with a deadly to-do list in hand, he’s finally on his mission… but with two men on his trail – a veteran cop just days from retirement, and a young egocentric hitman with a flair for the art of killing and a newfound worthy opponent. The hunter is also the hunted. It’s a do or die race to the list’s finish as the mystery surrounding his brother’s murder deepens, and new details emerge along the way hinting that Driver’s list may be incomplete.
FASTER opens November 24, 2010
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising artist. Clients have included the Dallas Mavericks and Stars. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Con and Sci-Fi Expo conventions. An avid moviegoer and cinema buff, Mark has been a film critic since 1994. 
