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Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson: What Are His 10 Best Movies
Dwayne “The Rock” started off his professional career as a wrestler for WWF in 1996, but he has since become one of the world’s highest-grossing and highest-paid actors. After his retirement from wrestling, Johnson made a few appearances in television and movies. He even starred in Wyclef Jean’s “It Doesn’t Matter” music video in 2000. In his first television acting debut, he played his own father in an episode of That ’70s Show in 1999 called “That Wrestling Show.” Johnson’s motion picture debut was as The Scorpion King in The Mummy Returns, with the movie’s success leading to his first leading role in the spin-off The Scorpion King (2002).
Johnson really hit it big at the box office when he played Luke Hobbs in Fast Five in 2011, reprising the role four more times in the later Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017) and Hobbs & Shaw (2019). “The Rock” starred in a number of franchises besides the Fast and the Furious, like the Jumanji reboot, Jungle Cruise and San Andreas (sequels have been greenlit for the latter two).
Most recently, Johnson has entered the DC Extended Universe, starring as anti-hero Black Adam. In theaters on October 21, Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell) and Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo) also make their DCEU film debuts. Black Adam is a spin-off from Shazam! (2019) the 11th film in the DCEU. Johnson was attached to Shazam! early in development and confirmed to portray Black Adam back in 2014, but the producers later decided to give the character his own film. With an initially planned release date of December 2021, the timeline was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Johnson being one of the most popular actors of today, we compiled a list our ten favorite Rock films. Time will tell if we’ll have to update this to include Black Adam. Check them out below:
Southland Tales
With the United States under the threat of nuclear attack, the lives of several people converge in a dystopian Los Angeles in this 2006 comedy-drama. Movie star Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson) plans his next film with the help of ambitious porn actress Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and troubled policeman Roland Taverner (Seann William Scott). Meanwhile, Marxist revolutionaries, greedy corporations and secretive government agencies pursue their separate agendas among a paranoid populace. Directed by Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko), the film didn’t face the same kind of praise his directorial film had.
The Game Plan
In this 2007 Disney comedy, bachelor football star Joe Kingman (Dwayne Johnson) seems to have it all. He is wealthy and carefree, and his team is on the way to capturing a championship. Suddenly, he is tackled by some unexpected news: He has a young daughter named Peyton (Madison Pettis), the result of a last fling with his ex-wife. Joe must learn to balance his personal and professional lives with the needs of his child.
Central Intelligence
Starring alongside Kevin Hart in this 2016 action-comedy, Johnson’s Bob Stone was bullied as a teen for being overweight but shows up to his high school reunion looking fit and muscular. While there, he finds Calvin Joyner (Hart), a fast-talking accountant who misses his glory days as a popular athlete. Stone is now a lethal CIA agent who needs Calvin’s number skills to help him save the compromised U.S. spy satellite system. Together, the former classmates encounter shootouts, espionage and double-crosses while trying to prevent worldwide chaos.
Be Cool
In this 2005 parody of the music industry, gangster-turned-movie producer, Chili Palmer (John Travolta) is ready for the next big move in the music industry. Palmer enters a precarious business that has more than just temperamental musicians: Russian mobsters, rival producers and hit men are out to bring him down. From witnessing the murder of his friend (James Woods) to romancing a music executive’s widow (his Pulp Fiction dancing partner Uma Thurman), it seems as though it might all fall apart, but Palmer has his ways. Elliot (Johnson), the bodyguard and sidekick of Roger “Raji” Lowenthal (Vince Vaughn) is taken on by Chili to pursue a career in acting and country and western singing.
Walking Tall
When decorated military officer Chris Vaughn (Johnson) returns to his hometown in the state of Washington to find work, he finds that the lumber mill has closed, and the town’s big business is now a seedy casino operated by one of his old schoolmates, Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough). Aided by his loyal friend Ray Templeton (Johnny Knoxville), Vaughn tries to make a stand against the area’s crime and corruption, but, finding no help from the police, he must take matters into his own hands in this 2004 action flick.
The Other Guys
Unlike their heroic counterparts on the force, desk-bound NYPD detectives Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) garner no headlines as they work day to day. Gamble relishes his job as a paper pusher, but Hoitz is itching to get back on the street and make a name for himself. When a seemingly minor case turns out to be a big deal, the two cops get the opportunity to finally prove to their comrades that they have the right stuff. Johnson stars as Detective Christopher Danson in this 2010 action-comedy.
Furious 7
After defeating international terrorist Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and the rest of the crew have separated to return to more normal lives. However, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), Owen’s older brother, is thirsty for revenge. Slick government agent Luke Hobbs (Johnsson) offers to help Dom and company take care of Shaw in exchange for their help in rescuing a kidnapped computer hacker who has developed a powerful surveillance program in the 2015 sequel.
Moana
In this hit 2016 Disney animated film, an adventurous teenager sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master way-finder. Together they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds. Along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she always sought: her own identity.
Fighting With My Family
Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige (Florence Pugh) and her brother Zak (Jack Lowden) are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for the WWE in this 2019 drama. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her loved ones behind and face this new cutthroat world alone. Paige’s journey pushes her to dig deep and ultimately prove to the world that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star. Johnson plays himself in the movie.
The Rundown
A better comedic duo than Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson is joined by Seann William Scott in this 2003 action film. Beck (Johnson) is a tight-lipped bounty hunter who doesn’t like to use a gun and accepts any job without asking questions. When Beck’s employer, Walker (William Lucking), sends him to the Amazon to locate Walker’s cocky son, Travis (Scott), Beck discovers a population controlled by a tyrannical treasure hunter (Christopher Walken). To survive, Beck and Travis must work together, without their affections for a mysterious rebel (Rosario Dawson) getting in the way.
