Summary
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnsonhas played villains a few times in his acting career, and he played one just two years before he took on the role of Luke Hobbs inFast Five. Dwayne Johnson usually plays heroes in his various movie roles, but he’s also dabbled on the other side.Dwayne Johnson has played nine villains in his career, from the Scorpion King inThe Mummy Returnsto the titular supervillain inBlack Adam. While those movies range from fantasy horror to superhero, Johnson played one villain who was very similar to his character Luke Hobbs inFast Five.
Johnson joined theFast & Furiousfranchise in 2011’sFast Five. That film also saw the franchise transition from being primarily focused on racing to becoming more of an action and heist series, which made Johnson a perfect fit.Fast Fivehas since become one ofDwayne Johnson’s best action movies, but it wasn’t the first time he played a villain in an action film. Johnson portrayed another antagonist just two years beforeFast Five, and he did so alongside an incredibly impressive cast.
How Much The Rock Was Paid For 6 Fast & Furious Movies (Including Hobbs & Shaw)
Dwayne Johnson is partly to thank for the success of Fast & Furious since Fast Five, but how many millions was The Rock rewarded with for his effort?
Dwayne Johnson’s Agent 23 Was The Secret Villain In Get Smart
In 2008’s action comedyGet Smart, a movie remake of the 1960s comedy series, Dwayne Johnson played Agent 23.Though he was an agent for the U.S. government agency CONTROL in the film, by the end ofGet Smart, Johnson’s Agent 23 was revealed to be a double agent who helped the terrorist organization KAOS plant a nuclear bomb as part of a presidential assassination attempt. Just two years later, Johnson played Luke Hobbs inFast Five, another government agent who was tasked with hunting down Dom Toretto and his crew.
Get Smartis available to stream on Max.
Why Get Smart’s Reviews Weren’t Great (Despite The Amazing Cast)
Dwayne Johnson got to work with a fantastic cast inGet Smart, but that wasn’t enough to save its reviews.Get Smartstars Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Alan Arkin, Terrence Stamp, and the Rock, and other notable comedians like Terry Crews, David Koechner, James Caan, Bill Murray, and Patrick Warburton all played smaller roles. Despite such a star-studded cast, however,Get Smartonly received a critical score of 51% and an audience score of 67% onRotten Tomatoes.
Get Smart Review
Get Smart manages to combine slapstick, wit, action, and a bit of romance in a package that will leave you smiling even after you leave the theater.
Get Smartreceived such a poor reception partially because of its deeply talented cast.Critics often mentioned that while Carell was hilarious as Maxwell Smart, the rest of the cast was much less funny than he was. The cast itself isn’t totally to blame for that criticism, though, asGet Smartwas designed to be a straight-faced parody of spy thrillers, and as such, most of the cast play typical and serious spy characters. Instead, they provided the setup for Carell to poke fun at the genre, which unfortunately wasn’t enough to keepGet Smartfrom feeling like an ordinary early 2000’s action comedy.
Dwayne Johnson Played An Even Better Villain In Fast Five
Like many of the other actors inGet Smart, Dwayne Johnson played Agent 23 in a fairly traditional way. Aside from a few visual gags - like walking into a wall while trying to impress a woman and sharing a climactic kiss with Carell’s Max - Agent 23 wasn’t the most compelling villain Johnson has ever played. Agent 23 was the typical strong, charismatic, and effective secret agent until his betrayal, when he essentially just worked as a stand-in bad guy.Johnson’s take on Luke Hobbs inFast Fivewas much better than his portrayal of Agent 23 inGet Smart.
Fast Five
Cast
The fifth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, Fast Five continues the Fast Saga in a high-octane thrill ride. When Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O’Conner’s (Paul Walker) gang become international fugitives, they are hunted by Luke Hobbs, an agent of the DSS. They also fall foul of a Brazillian drug lord, deciding to perform a heigh-stakes heist to steal $100 million from him.
Hobbs was almost the exact opposite of Agent 23: he was rude, single-minded, and very outwardly antagonistic to the crew. In essence,Hobbs just had a lot more personality and many more memorable character traits than Agent 23 did. Agent 23 was a living trope, whereas Hobbs was a reinterpretation of the government agent archetype. Hobbs was more like an obsessive bounty hunter who was willing to fight with his hands than the typical aloof and managerial agent audiences might have expected. Dwayne Johnson and his unique take on Hobbs may have been a big reasonFast Fiveis thebest movie in theFast & Furiousfranchise.
Luke Hobbs eventually became a hero in theFast & Furiousfranchise, and his character has appeared in every film besidesF9sinceFast Five.
One thing that bothGet SmartandFast Fivereally convey that seems to have been lost through the years is just how well Dwayne Johnson can do playing a true villain. Aside from 2022’sBlack Adam, Johnson hasn’t played a bad guy since 2013’sPain and Gain. Instead, he’s opted for more heroic or morally complex characters, which is a shame given how much talent he displayed in those villainous roles. IfDwayne Johnsonever does decide to play the villain once again, he’ll have his experience from bothGet SmartandFast Fiveto rely on.
Source:Rotten Tomatoes
Dwayne Johnson
Discover the latest news and filmography for Dwayne Johnson, known for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Fast & Furious.
