The Rundown 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Rundown 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 21, 2025

Peter Berg's "The Rundown" (2003) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary with critics Mike Leeder and Matt Routledge; archival audio commentary with Peter Berg and The Rock; another archival audio commentary by producers Kevin Misher and Marc Abraham; several archival featurettes; deleted scenes; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It is tiring to keep restating why contemporary action films are not as entertaining or attractive as their relatives from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. There are a few exceptions, like the Mission Impossible films, but eventually age will catch up with Tom Cruise too, and after he calls it quits, it will all be over. Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Don Johnson, and Dolph Lundgren are already done. There is no one else who does what these actors did, partially because the talent that came after them is very different, and partially because contemporary action films are done very, very differently now. Plus, streaming content has lowered the standards so much that there is no need for legitimate stars to exist. There are enough consumers out there who are content with average, and average is what the studios are happy to deliver to them.

The Rundown is a perfect example of the average that dominates American cinemas and streaming platforms these days. It is a very unoriginal film that spends approximately one hundred minutes trying and failing to impress with one-dimensional characters and digital fireworks you would forget as soon as its final credits appear. It is one seriously artificial-looking film, too. It is mostly because it is in love with Paul Greengrass’ theory that high-speed, borderline nauseating cuts and zooms are what every contemporary action film needs. However, ultimately, it is its leads, and The Rock, in particular, who ensure that it is as entertaining and attractive as an unusually long MTV video.

In Los Angeles, muscle boy Beck (The Rock) agrees to do one last job for a wealthy gangster whose son has disappeared somewhere in the jungles of Brazil. If Beck brings back his son alive, the gangster will wipe out his debts and reward him with enough cash to finally open his own Italian restaurant. The offer is too good to ignore, so shortly after Beck lands in a remote area of Brazil, where the gangster’s son was last seen.

In the rundown town of El Dorado, Beck bumps into Mariana (Rosario Dawson), a part-time bartender and full-time undercover freedom fighter, and Hatcher (Christopher Walken), who has his private army and operates a large mine that is filling his pockets with gold. It is not long before Beck also encounters the gangster’s son, Travis (Seann William Scott), who has been searching for and appears to have located the legendary ancient artifact El Gato de Diablo (The Devil’s Cat). Determined to finish his job and get back to civilization as quickly as possible, Beck lets Travis know that he can choose from two options that place him on the next plane to Los Angeles – the easy and pain-free, and the difficult and painful one. However, before Travis can announce his preference, Hatcher appears with his goons and suggests a third option, which forces Travis to disclose the location of El Gato de Diablo and Beck to behave if he were to stay alive.

Peter Berg works very hard to transform The Rock into a likable action superstar as he plows through material that constantly requires him to be sharp-witted and funny, much like John McClane was many moons ago. Sadly, The Rock does not have the charisma, the awesome one-liners, and the crucial sense of humor to make this transformation happen. He has the muscles, and that is it. As a result, despite the quickly evolving situations, twists and turns, all the drama and fireworks look the same.

If there is one aspect of The Rundown that genuinely surprises, it is Scott’s handling of his unquestionably ridiculous character. He is hilarious and brings a great deal of positive energy that may be what ultimately makes The Rundown possible to endure.

The Rundown 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of The Rundown is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-26 are taken from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #29-38 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

I do not have Universal's original Blu-ray release of The Rundown in my library, so I cannot comment on the type of upgrades this combo pack may or may not bring. However, I doubt that the previous presentation is as convincing as the new presentations of The Rundown on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray for two reasons. First, regardless of whether the new 4K makeover of The Rundown is viewed with Dolby Vision or HDR in native 4K or in 1080p, the dynamic range of the visuals is such that it is practically guaranteed that an older master would produce inferior visuals. (Again, this is true for the 1080p presentation of the new 4K makeover on the Blu-ray as well). Second, clarity, sharpness, and depth exhibit consistency that usually only recent 4K masters are able to ensure. In fact, this is one of the key reasons the native 4K and 1080p presentations of The Rundown are equally satisfying. Color reproduction is fantastic as well, though this should not be surprising considering that The Rundown was completed in 2003. Image stability is outstanding. My one and only minor criticism pertains to a few areas where backgrounds appeared slightly coarse. However, The Rundown is full of digital trickery, so this is something that will likely be displayed differently on different systems. My score is 4.75/5.00.

The Rundown 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very aggressive, performing as well as many recent Dolby Atmos tracks do. However, it is not because it is optimized in unique ways to impress. It is the original soundtrack that has many tweaks, allowing it to make a great impression in all the right places. Also, it helps a lot that The Rundown is loaded with plenty of high-octane action sequences. The dialog is clear, sharp, and easy to follow.

The Rundown 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director Peter Berg and The Rock. If you enjoy The Rundown, it is the audio commentary you should consider spending time with first because it offers the most detailed information about the shooting of various parts where The Rock and his partners go to impress. Also, the two commentators share more than a few hilarious bits about certain things that did or did not turn out as intended. Plus, there are some silly comments, like the ones they share about the cows in a crucial sequence, and what they may have felt while it was being shot.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by producers Kevin Misher and Marc Abraham.

• Commentary Three - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Mike Leeder and Matt Routledge.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director Peter Berg and The Rock. If you enjoy The Rundown, it is the audio commentary you should consider spending time with first because it offers the most detailed information about the shooting of various parts where The Rock and his partners go to impress. Also, the two commentators share more than a few hilarious bits about certain things that did or did not turn out as intended. Plus, there are some silly comments, like the ones they share about the cows in a crucial sequence, and what they may have felt while it was being shot.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by producers Kevin Misher and Marc Abraham.

• Commentary Three - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Mike Leeder and Matt Routledge.

• Featurettes - presented here are several archival programs that focus on different aspects of the production process. Included in them are clips from interviews with cast and crew members, as well as raw footage from the shooting of various action sequences. One of the programs also spends time with the vile/hilarious monkeys that attack The Rock and Seann William Scott. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Rumble in the Jungle. (11 min).
  2. The Amazon, Hawaii Style. (6 min).
  3. Appetite for Destruction. (9 min).
  4. The Rundown Uncensored - A Rock-umentary. (7 min).
  5. Running Down the Town. (5 min).
  6. Walken's World. (6 min).

• Deleted Scenes - a collection of deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Trailer - presenetd here is a vintage theatrical trailer for The Rundown. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

The Rundown 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you blink, you will miss the real Terminator passing through and awkwardly encouraging The Rock to have fun, as he prepares to demolish a few big egos in a popular nightclub in the very beginning of The Rundown. Arnold Schwarzenegger's struggle with words is well-documented, but in his prime, he was a legitimate action superstar who made undeniably entertaining action films. The Rundown treats The Rock like a legitimate action superstar, and occasionally he does look good, but he lacks the charisma and everything else that is required to have him in Schwarzenegger's company. I am sorry, but it is true, so their extremely short encounter is rather ironic. Kino Lorber's combo pack brings a very solid new 4K makeover of The Rundown that looks great on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. If The Rundown is a film you enjoy, consider picking it up for your library.