The Rock’s Five Best Movie Roles

With San Andreas out in theaters this weekend, Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson is the king of the big screen once again. And as Johnson dominates yet another opening weekend, it’s the perfect time to reflect on his illustrious movie career. Ever since he transitioned out of the ring and into Hollywood, The Rock has starred in tons of roles ranging from the absurd to the amazing. Below, we run through five of those films that have stuck with us the most.

Luke Hobbs (The Fast and Furious franchise)

Johnson’s character Luke Hobbs helped revitalize the Fast and Furious franchise from a tired street racing movie series into a full blown money making juggernaut. Hobbs joined the franchise as a law agent pursuing Vin Diesel’s crew of fast and furious thieves, but quickly became an ally as bigger threats emerged. Hobbs’ biggest moment came in Furious 7, when he flexed out of an arm cast, escaped a hospital and used an ambulance to stop a missile from blowing up Vin Diesel and his friends. It’s expected that the Rock will play an even bigger role in the franchise in Fast and Furious 8, as the franchise recently lost actor Paul Walker in a tragic car accident.

Chris Vaughn (Walking Tall)

A remake of a 1973 movie with the same name, Walking Tall chronicled Sheriff Chris Vaughn’s attempt to clean up his hometown from a local crime ring’s control. Walking Tall is one of the Johnson’s best action films, as he punched and pummeled his way to justice throughout the film. In one classic scene, the Rock used a 4×4 to destroy a crime filled casino and its security team. After the 4×4 is blown up towards the end of the movie, the Rock used an uprooted tree to defeat the leader of the crime ring. You read that correctly: the Rock beat a dude with a tree.

The Scorpion King (The Mummy Returns, The Scorpion King)

Who hasn’t wanted to see the Rock as a giant half human/half scorpion monster? The Rock’s first major movie appearance was as an ancient Egyptian warlord turned CGI monster in The Mummy Returns. While his original role was a lineless glorified cameo, the Rock returned as the Scorpion King in his own prequel film a year later. The Scorpion King was a campy mess, but Johnson shone as the ass-kicking, cheesy line delivering warrior.

John Matthews (Snitch)

Derek Thompson (Tooth Fairy)

I’m not going to pretend that Tooth Fairy was a good film, but the negative reaction to it seemed to scare the Rock back to taking on more traditional action films, so I’m putting it on the list.

What are your favorite movies starring the Rock? Leave your suggestions in the comments below!