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From his early glory days in the ring to stealing the show in new Disney classics, we’ve loved watching Dwayne Johnson’s career evolve. It took a while after he left wrestling to get his acting career really going, but he’s officially on a roll. The Cinema Sins team rounded up ten rockin’ films you should be sure to check out if you’re looking for the best Dwayne Johnson movies, ranked.
10. Snitch
First things first, we want to bring up this little movie from 2013 called Snitch. The Rock plays a dad trying to get his son out of prison for unwittingly taking part in a drug deal. He teams up with the legendary Susan Sarandon to go undercover for the DEA to reduce his son’s sentence. Michael K. Williams, who plays a former dealer in this film, was an added bonus. While we love Johnson in this movie, his action-hero chops weren’t enough to make this film as memorable as the rest of his standout performances, but do watch it if you want to see The Rock drive the largest pickup truck ever seen onscreen.
Related: Susan Sarandon’s Sage Advice on Living a Happy Life
9. Pain and Gain
In this movie, Johnson plays a recovering cocaine addict and ex-con who has found Jesus and is looking for a new start. Unfortunately, he mixes up with bodybuilders Mark Wahlberg and Anthony Mackie, who get him involved in a scheme to steal every dollar and possession from a jerk played by Tony Shalhoub. Johnson’s really funny in this–you can see he is hesitant to get involved after having just been in jail and he starts bonding with Shalhoub after they kidnap him. Once they get the money, he starts using again–and his performance isn’t the typical, manic coke addict often depicted on-screen. It’s one of his funniest (and unsung) performances. It’s a satire from Michael Bay, so it’s not the subtlest of movies, but it’s enjoyable and he’s a big part of why.
8. Southland Tales
The first time we thought that Johnson might be a good actor was when we saw him in Southland Tales, even though the movie itself is not the most memorable–it’s been a while since we’ve seen it, but what we do remember is him being great in it. Southland Tales was the first time he was on-screen doing something a little more than just being “The Rock in a Movie.” We actually remember an interview from around this time during which he was asked what it’s like trying to become a big movie star, and he said he’s not trying to be a big movie star, he’s trying to be a great actor. And then Southland Tales came out.
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Read More: 10 Best Dwayne Johnson Movies