This action thriller falls a little short of expectation from the very beginning. Chris Vaughn (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson) returns home after eight years of military service in the Special Forces only to discover the corruption his former friend and casino owner, Jay Hamilton (Neal McDonough), has brewed for this small town. After Chris is beaten to the brink of death by casino security and his nephew Pete Vaughn (Khleo Thomas) almost overdoses . . . Chris takes it upon himself to enact his own justice. Followed by a brush with the local law enforcement and Chris winning the election for Sheriff.

Not only should the viewer suspend reality for sake of the plot development, but also the main villain is no match for Chris in any stretch of the imagination. Furthermore, if the casino is so crooked and the police are on the take, anyone that did this for real would have been shot on sight by the local PD. The trial would have never had a chance to take place, let alone the ability to win an election. Chris also makes his best friend, Ray Templeton (Johnny Knoxville), his deputy. The problem with this is Ray is also a convicted felon.

At least the film did portray one aspect in the light of reality. No one in the town was even seen in the background while Chris was taking out the bad guys. No one even offered to help in his crusade of righteousness. If they had, the movie would have been alot shorter, but alas that’s also human nature. For crying out loud, his sister, Michelle Vaughn (Kristen Wilson), who was an officer of some sort, was never even seen outside the Vaughn home. Where was she during the film, at the snack cart? It would have made more sense to have her fighting by her brothers’ side than the half-witted, sidekick, ex-felon friend.

Only one confrontational scene stood out and was truly spectacular . . . the gunfight at the Police Station when the casino security tried to kill Sheriff Chris. The other action scenes were mediocre in comparison to what you would expect a wrestler like “The Rock” to be capable of. Overall, the acting was fine as far as an action flick goes; just the scriptwriter and perhaps the director should, in concept only, be taken out back and beaten (lol).

Before you run off to the theatre to see this movie, you might want to wait until you have a coupon for your local video rental or have a friend rent the movie and watch it on their dime. Otherwise, you’re just going for the popcorn and drink.