All The Rock’s roles
Get smart about how his characters stack up.
Before he even set foot on a film set, Dwayne Johnson was creating great characters in the wrestling ring, perhaps none better than the eyebrow-raising, People’s Elbowing “The Rock.” He was so naturally likable that the cocky villain quickly turned into a beloved anti-hero. Everybody smelled what The Rock was cooking. ❚ Johnson carried that never-ending charisma to the big screen and it’s paired with some seriously large animals in the new action-adventure Rampage (in theaters Friday). The buff actor plays a primatologist who gets along better with creatures than with his fellow man — which is helpful when a giant gorilla, wolf and crocodile hit Chicago. ❚ How does he rate in the definitive ranking of best and worst Johnson movie roles? Let’s break it down. (No straight-to-video releases or uncredited cameos are counted. But we saw you there in Jem and the Holograms, DJ!)
1. Luke Hobbs ( Fast & Furious series, 2011-present)
The only person who probably looks more like an actual superhero than Vin Diesel, Johnson brought new life to the franchise beginning in Fast Five with his heavily armed federal agent. Now that he’s about to do a spinoff with co-star Jason Statham, expect Hobbs to stay No. 1 for a while.
2. Maui ( Moana, 2016)
An island girl gets title treatment, but Johnson’s larger-than-life demigod is integral to her coming-of-age journey, rules as comic relief and also is quite the singer. You’re welcome, indeed.
3. Roadblock ( G.I. Joe: Retaliation, 2013)
An action figure playing an action figure. Johnson put the toy/comics/cartoon franchise on his large shoulders playing the machine-gunning Cobra hater.
4. Bob Stone ( Central Intelligence, 2016)
He has great one-liners and can take out guys four at a time. But arguably the best thing is, for most of the movie, you don’t know if he’s a nice guy obsessed with guns, unicorns and saving the world or if there are other shenanigans afoot.
5. Dr. Smolder Bravestone ( Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,
2017)
Now this is acting: Johnson playing a nerdy, insecure high school kid playing a ripped, macho video-game avatar. All his tossing around of Kevin Hart and riding on a bike with a flamethrower only adds to the movie’s fun quotient.
6. Joe Kingman ( The Game Plan, 2007)
The highlight of his family-friendly period, Johnson plays a quarterback with a heart of gold and a surprise daughter.
7. Paul Doyle ( Pain & Gain, 2013)
Every major character is bonkers and/or on drugs, and kudos to Johnson for his wacked-out criminal Christian cokehead bodybuilder.
8. Davis Okoye ( Rampage, 2018)
No one else in Hollywood could pull off staring down a crocodile the size of a football field or tag-teaming with a gigantic gorilla.
9. Elliot Wilhelm ( Be Cool, 2005)
Johnson showed his stuff opposite a bunch of A-listers as a gay Samoan bodyguard and aspiring actor who gets a kick out of singing country music and checking himself out in tight blue pants.
10. Boxer Santaros ( Southland Tales, 2006)
The oddball pre-apocalyptic sci-fi satire/fantasy put Johnson in the interesting role of an amnesiac action-movie star with a congressman father-in-law.
11. Agent 23 ( Get Smart, 2008)
The top secret agent of CONTROL is a role model for clumsy wannabe Steve Carell, though by the end, 23 is the one throwing an explosive situation into KAOS.
12. Beck ( The Rundown, 2003)
Johnson’s bounty hunter walks past Arnold Schwarzenegger, who passes the action-movie baton of sorts with two words: “Have fun.” BALLER.
13. John Matthews ( Snitch, 2013)
They say snitches get stitches, but it’s dad who doles out the hurt to bad guys in an effort to get his kid out of trouble.
14. Ray Gaines ( San Andreas, 2015)
It’s the The Rock vs. a rocking earthquake when the Big One hits and his helicopter pilot braves certain doom to save his daughter and estranged wife.
15. Driver ( Faster, 2010)
Cops and crooks both have a mission to take down this one-man army bent on taking down everyone involved with his brother’s murder.
16. Christopher Danson ( The Other Guys, 2010)
Along with Samuel L. Jackson, he’s one of NYPD’s finest and cockiest — though they get, well, an early retirement.
17. Hercules ( Hercules, 2014)
He throws a horse with a dude on it. A horse. With a dude on it. Enough said.
18. Sean Porter ( Gridiron Gang, 2006)
When his troubled yet talented athletes don’t make the most of a second chance, Coach puts on the pads himself to lay the smack down, in a teaching way.
19. Jack Bruno ( Race to Witch Mountain, 2009)
The ex-con cabbie’s next fare is one for the ages when he helps two alien teenagers get to their spaceship and avoid a secret government crew.
20. Mitch Buchannon ( Baywatch, 2017)
The movie’s a big miss but Johnson’s modern version of the old David Hasselhoff beach cop gets some good lines and banters mightily with Zac Efron.
21. Chris Vaughn ( Walking Tall, 2004)
No frills and all butt-kicking await when a special forces soldier returns to clean up his town with some no-nonsense justice.
22. Mathayus ( The Scorpion King, 2002)
After the brief intro in The Mummy 2, Johnson rocks his first starring role as an Egyptian ruler. Not the epitome of acting, but he jumps through fire and flings a sword like nobody’s business.
23. Hank ( Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, 2012)
The mission: Break some codes, save an old man. What ensues along the way: battles with killer eels, campfire songs, Johnson bouncing berries off his pecs.
24. Derek Thompson ( Tooth Fairy, 2010)
Hockey enforcer doesn’t believe in the tooth fairy, gets wings and receives a stern talking-to from Julie Andrews.
25. Chuck Baker ( Planet 51, 2009)
It’s really weird seeing Johnson voice a white astronaut stuck on an alien planet. They did give the spaceman the actor’s famous cocked eyebrow, so ... win?
26. Sarge ( Doom, 2005)
A video-game adaptation may have seemed like a good idea at the time. We give The Rock a mulligan for this one.