The Rock reflects on action films

LOS ANGELES -- When The Rock makes a fist, it's usually time to back off but this time he's clenching his oversized mitt to give the thumbs-up to his favorite movies.\nIn honor of his new adventure flick "The Rundown," The Associated Press asked the wrestling superstar for a rundown of the buddy, adventure, boxing, sci-fi, kung fu films and Westerns that inspired him to brawl on the big screen.\nIn "The Rundown," 6-foot-5, 255-pound wrestler-turned-actor stars as Beck, a bounty hunter who refuses to use guns. Armed only with his wits and fists, he battles various foes while hunting for a wisecracking amateur archaeologist ("American Wedding" star Seann William Scott) whose father is a ruthless loan shark.\nThe Rock described the film as a combination of his favorite "old school" action-adventure movies, the kind filled with "fisticuffs and knuckle sandwiches."\nSome of The Rock's favorites:\nBuddy Film: "48 Hrs.," 1982. Eddie Murphy played a loudmouth convict released from jail for two days to help gruff cop Nick Nolte track down a psycho. "They were two opposites and they didn't get along, and that conflict drives the story," said The Rock, whose "Rundown" character mirrors some of Nolte's grouchiness. "His comedy came from his straightness."\nWestern: "Unforgiven," 1992. Clint Eastwood snarls as an aging, repentant gunfighter forced to pick up his weapons again to slay a corrupt sheriff. "When we knew that my ("Rundown") character would have a true aversion to guns, I would always say `We gotta have a Clint Eastwood moment,'" which means succumbing to the urge to blow people away. "It's not until the end of the movie, but it reminds me of `Unforgiven' when (Eastwood) decides to go back into town, that reluctant fighter who is boxed in."\nMartial Arts: "Enter the Dragon," 1973. Bruce Lee competes in a kung fu competition and gets revenge on the man responsible for his sister's death. Their fighting styles are very different, but The Rock considers Lee an expert at delivering simple, menacing lines. His favorite: a villain tries to intimidate Lee by smashing a plank of wood, and the star intones, "Boards don't hit back." "Aww, that was awesome," The Rock gushes. "Bruce Lee is just, like, cool."\nAdventure: "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1981. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, archaeologist extraordinaire, who roughs up Nazis in a quest for a mystical treasure. "The Rundown" includes a quest for an ancient artifact as an homage to "Raiders." "I saw it when I was 8 years old and we were late to the theater, so I had to sit right in the very front row," Rock said. "As a little kid I was looking directly up, vertical, and it was literally larger than life to me."\nBoxing: "Rocky," 1976. Sylvester Stallone's hardscrabble fighter finds love and honor while throwing punches in the ring. "It's a feel-good, standup type of movie," The Rock said. "I love the story of a guy who fights the odds, and he doesn't have to win _ and he doesn't win."\nSci-Fi: "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back," 1980. The second installment in the landmark space opera about rebel Luke Skywalker's battle against Darth Vader. Like "Rocky," The Rock liked the hero's struggle to overcome his weaknesses. "There he was going to see Yoda and training to become a Jedi knight, and failing so many times," Rock said.\nScariest Action: "Predator," 1987. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a commando on a jungle mission whose crew is stalked by a chameleonlike alien hunter. The Rock enjoyed the story's mystery: "You're completely out of your element and you're fighting the unknown. Then one by one all his buddies got picked off."\nFunniest Action: "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969. Paul Newman and Robert Redford star as two Western outlaws fleeing the law. "This was just fun," The Rock said, although he wasn't a fan of the "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" musical montage. "It was just this music, this horrible music ... I hated that, but I watched these guys have fun and that was great"