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"THE MARINE" (2006) (John Cena, Robert Patrick) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Heavy Extreme *Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Minor Extreme *Moderate Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Moderate Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Action: An ex-Marine sets out to rescue his wife from a bunch of murderous jewelry thieves who've taken her hostage. PLOT: John Triton (JOHN CENA) is one of the best Marines in the service, but when he disobeys direct orders to save the lives of three fellow servicemen, he's discharged from the service. Unable to hold down a security job for even one day without getting physical with some jerks with bad attitudes, he agrees to wife Kate's (KELLY CARLSON) suggestion that they head off for a little rest and relaxation. Unbeknownst to them, when they pull off the road to get gas, they stop at a station also being frequented by a team of jewelry thieves -- led by the steely Rome (ROBERT PATRICK) -- who are on their way to deliver a set of stolen diamonds. Everything's cool until two police officers pull up, with one making small talk with Rome. Just then, one of his trigger-happy minions, Morgan (ANTHONY RAY PARKER), walks up and shoots one cop dead, resulting in a gun battle with the other, while another thug, Bennett (MANU BENNETT), briefly knocks out John in the store. Needing a new getaway vehicle, Rome orders that they take John's truck, thus taking Kate hostage. As they and the rest of their crew -- Angela (ABIGAIL BIANCA) and Vescera (DAMON GIBSON) -- race off, spilled gas is ignited and the station erupts in a massive explosion, leading all to believe that everyone back there, including John, is dead. However, he survived, and hopping in the cops' souped-up cruiser, sets out in pursuit of the villains, just like homicide detective Van Buren (JEROME EHLERS) and many other South Carolina law enforcement officers. With it being all too apparent that he's dealing with ruthless criminals who will stop at nothing, John knows he doesn't have much time to find and eliminate them before it's too late for Kate. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of WWE wrestler John Cena, anyone else in the cast, or hard-hitting action films, they might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For intense sequences of violent action, sensuality and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JOHN CENA plays an ex-Marine who was discharged for disobeying an order (although it was to save fellow Marines from being killed) and is having a hard time adjusting to civilian life. He doesn't have much time to worry about that, however, as he must find Rome and his crew so that he can rescue his kidnapped wife. He fights and kills many of them, and uses some profanity. ROBERT PATRICK plays the unflappable leader of the jewelry robbers who has no problem killing anyone who appears to be a real or possible impediment to his plans. KELLY CARLSON plays John's wife who can mostly hold her own against her abductors. ANTHONY RAY PARKER plays Rome's hot-headed if slightly off-kilter minion who similarly has no problem killing people, uses profanity (some of it strong), and plays the racial card (he's black) from time to time. ABIGAIL BIANCA plays one of Rome's crewmembers and his lover who shows disdain toward Kate. JEROME EHLERS plays a detective trailing Rome for both professional and personal reasons. MANU BENNETT and DAMON GIBSON play other minions working for Rome. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this action flick that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some non-explicit, but sexually related dialogue is present, as is the sight of a recently reunited, married couple being amorous, and two unmarried villains doing the same (but not quite as steamy or sensual). There's also an unrelated sight of a very buxom woman in a small bikini, while a man refers to a past encounter that was presumably homosexual in nature. Violence consists of people being murdered or otherwise killed in a variety of ways (gunfire, explosions, etc.) although most of the deaths occur just off-screen, while a tremendous amount of brutal fighting (punching, kicking, using items to hit others, etc.) is also present. Some of that has bloody results, and it's possible some of the material (especially an underwater rescue followed by CPR) could be unsettling to those sensitive to such matters. Some of the violence and stunts might be enticing for some kids to imitate, while various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes. Some drinking is present, as is some brief drug-related material. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's a spin-around camera shot of Rome in a jewelry store. Other camera movement might also induce that reaction in susceptible viewers. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Another man brings out beer for John and himself. A bumper sticker on a souped-up cop car states something along the lines of "donated by a local drug dealer" (presumably meaning it was confiscated). Some low-level criminals out in the swamp might be boxing up packages of drugs, but the product is never identified and is seen from a distance. Rome and Bennett drink beer. BLOOD/GORE We see a dead man's face from under a sheet, but there's no blood. We later see a few other dead bodies, but they're similarly not bloody. John sees blood on a tree from where Rome earlier shot one of his men. John's head is somewhat bloody during a fight. We see Rome with a very bloody and quite burned face. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Rome and his minions have bad attitudes for being murderous criminals (killing cops and others, robbing a jewelry story, kidnapping, etc.). A guy comes into an office building where John works as a security guard and acts like a jerk toward him. John and his partner are then called up to another floor where the guy is acting like a jerk toward a woman, commenting on a "whore house" and wondering where the other "whores" are. We see guys working at a chop shop (where Morgan is supposed to pick up an inconspicuous van, but instead takes a fancy Cadillac). Morgan, who's black, repeatedly brings up the race card (black guys don't drive vans, go to camp, and such). Angela has a bad attitude toward Kate. Rome stole the diamonds for someone else, but then reneges on his deal to deliver them. Some low-level, swamp-based criminals think John is a cop and treat him accordingly (beating him up). Van Buren turns out to be a corrupt cop who's Rome's buyer of the diamonds. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material, but probably not as much (or at all) to other and older viewers. For those afraid of them, there are several shots of various snakes when Rome and his crew make their way through a swamp. Kate is cuffed in the back section of the cab as the semi runs into a building and into various gas canisters that explode. The end result is the burning truck then crashes through the end of the building and into a body of water, quickly sinking as Kate frantically tries to get out. After John is done fighting Rome, he runs and dives into the water as an explosion goes off behind him. He swims down to find the submerged cab and Kate motionless in the back. He then struggles to free her cuffed hands from the pipe and then surfaces and performs CPR on her (she eventually regains consciousness just when all hope seems lost). GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns/Missiles/Other Explosives/Knives: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "F*ck you," "Bullsh*t," "No sh*t," "Have you lost your mind?" "Psycho ex-boyfriend, "Whore (house)," "Pork chop," "Flat-top," "Jackasses," "Dude," "That sucks," "You bet your ass," "You arrogant bastard," "The level of hell I could bring down on you," "I'm a criminal, not a soccer mom," "Where the hell did she come from?" "This guy is like the Terminator," "Bitch(es)," "I hate cops and rock candy," "You're a trigger-happy nut job," "We're monumentally screwed here," "Go to hell," "Dirty ass," "You're one crazy son of a bitch," "Let's get the hell out of here," "Creepy ass snake," "You're insane," "What the hell are you doing out here?" "Sneaking up our asses," "It's a freaking shack," "It smells like baked ass," "Country ass cracker," "Cool honkey," "Plan A is screwed," "You're pathetic," "Shut up," "Boy" (said to men in a condescending manner), "Get the bitch off me" and "What the hell was that?" All of the fighting and other stunts may be enticing for some kids to imitate. Angela wears a midriff-revealing top. JUMP SCENES Rome, with a very bloody and quite burned face, suddenly wraps a chain around John's neck. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of ominous, suspenseful, and action-oriented music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song had what sounded like pleasured female sexual sounds in it. A rap song in the end credits, "If It All Ended Tomorrow," may contain some profanity such as the "f" and "s" word (it does in regular form, but we didn't note it as it played, so it may or may not be present as played here). PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 3 "s" words, 8 hells, 5 asses, 2 S.O.B.s, 1 damn and 2 uses of "G-damn." SEX/NUDITY When John arrives home from being gone for a long time in the service, Kate rushes out and jumps up on him, wrapping her legs around him. He then carries her into the house and onto the bed that way (both are clothed) where they passionately kiss (and sex is implied). After an unknown passage of time, we then see them kissing in an embrace as he's standing in just his boxers and she's on a counter or table in a very low-cut bra and panties. After some small talk, he carries her off (presumably to the bedroom), with her asking where they're going and him replying, "To make me happy." John's former work partner comments that Kate (who's not there) is "hot." Rome nuzzles Angela's neck and the two passionately kiss, with her starting to undo his shirt and him running his hand down along her clothed butt, but a phone call interrupts them. However, as he's on the phone, the camera view is between her legs from behind her as her dress falls to the ground (we see just her stocking-covered legs) and we see her reaction. Kate shows some cleavage in a halter-top. As John walks away from the car, Kate playfully says, "Nice butt." Morgan suddenly confesses that he once went to camp, met a "cool honkey" named Johnny Whiplash and that he has fond memories of their time together. He then admits that the guy first offered friendship, then rock candy, and then something he should have not accepted (as some "Deliverance" banjo music plays on the soundtrack, thus suggesting some sort of homosexual behavior). We briefly see a very buxom woman in a small bikini (lots of cleavage up top, a thong bottom down below -- seen from both sides). When taking a cop's car, Angela holds up a pair of handcuffs and smiles, as does Rome (presumably sexual in nature). When she wants to persuade him to allow her to keep one diamond, she suggestively straddles his lap and kisses him as he drives (but then gets off). As John tries to perform CPR on Kate, we see her in a wet and tight halter-top that accentuates her bust and partially shows her nipples through it. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Kate saying the hardest part of John being gone (in the service) was not knowing, meaning where he was, when he was coming home, if he'd be killed, etc. John worries about Kate after she's been kidnapped (but is never seen fretting or getting emotional about it until he must pull her limp body from a submerged truck and then perform CPR on her). Kate briefly believes John's dead following a massive explosion. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT For disobeying a direct order, John is discharged from the Marines (despite rescuing three hostages). Kate saying the hardest part of John being gone (in the service) was not knowing, meaning where he was, when he was coming home, if he'd be killed, etc. The fact that John's Marine skills are not easily transferable to the outside working world. Morgan, who's black, repeatedly brings up the race card (black guys don't drive vans, go to camp, and such). VIOLENCE We see terrorists repeatedly hitting captured American soldiers, and just as one is ready to behead a captive, John blasts into their hideout and opens fire on them with a machine gun, mowing down some of the nine reported to be there. Others fire back at him, and he then appears to hit some with a grenade or similar explosive device (resulting in several of them being on fire), while more gunfire and hand-to-hand fighting (hitting, kicking, kneeing, and bashing them with objects) occurs (all quickly edited, with brief views). Once outside, he and the rescued men see a helicopter opening fire on the terrorist compound with machine guns and rockets, resulting in various explosions and presumed injuries and deaths. Rome suddenly kicks a jewelry store guard in the leg, strikes him several more times and then pulls out his gun, as does one of his goons and they aim them at the staff and customers who are present. Rome then fires repeatedly into a bulletproof glass door leading into the vault (to prove he needs another way in) and then grabs a woman hostage with his gun to her head. But when a staffer opens the vault, we learn that the woman is Angela, and she grabs a gun and holds it on others as well. After the staffer (who's part of an inside job) tells Rome to hit him to make it look real, Rome instead shoots the guy dead (we don't see the impact). Outside, Rome opens fire on an approaching police car, riddling it with machine gun fire, followed by one of his thugs firing a rocket launcher or something similar into the vehicle, causing it to explode up into the air. A guy comes into an office building where John works as a security guard and acts like a jerk toward him. John and his partner are then called up to another floor where the guy is acting like a jerk toward a woman, commenting on a "whore house" and wondering where the other "whores" are. John then grabs and physically escorts that man back down to the lobby where his two bodyguards then confront John and his partner. The latter prevents John from going after the jerk who tried to hit John, but after another comment, the partner tries to hit one of the guys. A brief melee breaks out with John easily dispatching the three men by hitting and tossing them about (with the jerk trying to hurt John by bashing something that breaks across his back). John then grabs that jerk and throws him through a large, plate glass window out onto the sidewalk (we hear that John is fired because of that, and we later see the last bit again on the evening news). A police car pulls up behind Rome who's fueling a car at a gas station. Rome's team eyes the cops (one in the car, one out) suspiciously, but the police don't seem to be after them. Nevertheless, Morgan walks up and shoots the one cop dead (no impact), causing Rome to be forced to open fire with his machine gun on the other cop still in the car (who gets off some shots back at them, and later is seen alive -- thanks to his bulletproof vest -- but injured). John hears this, but is floored and briefly knocked out by a thug who hits him with a fire extinguisher as he tries to rush out. Angela then shoots the store clerk (no impact), while Rome orders that they take the Tritons' truck, resulting in some struggling with Kate as they abduct and put her in the backseat. As they leave, Morgan fires upon the spilled gasoline on the pavement, causing it to spark, catch fire, and then result in a massive explosion of the tanks and the entire station (the fireball blasts John backwards inside the store). John then takes the souped-up cop car, smashes out the bullet-hole ridden windshield with a nightstick, and then races after Kate and the thugs who have her. After being kidnapped, Kate grabs at Angela, and has to be restrained by the others. Various members of Rome's team riddle the cop car in which John is chasing them (with shots from machine guns and handguns). He blocks some bullets with a bulletproof vest, but otherwise is lucky not to be hit as the car is riddled with gunfire. Rome then repeatedly bumps the SUV into John's cop car as they continue their chase through a construction zone. During this, John ends up off the road and goes under a backhoe's claw, ripping the top of his car (he ducks and is okay). At the same time, Kate grabs Rome from the backseat and has to be pulled away so he can drive. The team members then fire once again on John's car, with Rome having to turn at the last minute to avoid going off a cliff. John's car then crashes into the stopped SUV and goes airborne off the cliff. The villains then repeatedly shoot the underbelly of the car, with John jumping out just as it explodes above him (both he and the car land in some water below and he's otherwise unharmed). After Vescera insults Morgan, the latter grabs and then shoves the former back against the SUV (with Rome firing a warning shot into the air to make them stop), while Angela aims her gun at Kate before punching her unconscious. Van Buren briefly holds his gun on John when the latter walks up and they meet for the first time. While being carried over Morgan's shoulder, Kate suddenly hits him, kicks another, and hits Angela before being restrained. Angela then hits Kate. Rome suddenly shoots Vescera dead in a swamp (on dry land) and we then see several alligators rush up and then see them biting and rolling bits of his clothing in the water (we don't see them actually grab the body). A net suddenly wraps around John and he's whisked up into the air, but he immediately cuts himself free, only to find a low-level criminal aiming a shotgun at him. John quickly knocks that weapon aside and holds his large knife to the man's throat, but the man's partner then bashes John over the back and/or head, knocking him out. John then comes to and finds himself tied to a chair with the second guy then repeatedly punching him quite hard in the face, with the first guy grabbing John by the hair. After the second guy punches him again, John head-butts him, spins over, manages to break free from the chair, and then repeatedly hits and kicks the huge second guy. The first throws a small ax or hatchet at John who ducks out of the way, followed by the two fighting and exchanging hard blows, with that guy smashing John down onto a table. John then drives that guy back through something (possibly a pillar of sorts) before escaping and fleeing. When Morgan goes out to start a generator at a river house, John dives into him, knocking him to the ground and tries to stab him with a knife, but Morgan holds his arm back and then kicks him away. Morgan then nearly shoots John and the two fight, with Morgan hitting John with a pole and then a bottle before John strikes and kills Morgan. John and Bennett exchange blows during a fight, with John smashing him down onto a crate, and then jumping and landing on the man, apparently killing him (we don't see the impact). Kate escapes from a swamp house, kicks Angela, but is then tripped and the two fight, delivering various blows and Kate getting the best of Angela until the latter pulls and holds a gun on Kate. John bursts into a swamp house and Rome holds a gun on him. Van Buren then enters and aims his gun at Rome, but then switches that aim to be on John. John then knocks that gun aside and grabs Van Buren, with Rome opening fire on them, hitting the cop and then shooting at John as he dives over a counter. While leaving, Rome then shoots propane tanks beneath the house, with John diving out through a window just as a massive explosion destroys the house in a massive fireball. Kate is knocked out so that she can be put into a car's trunk. A cop holds a gun on John and tries to cuff him on the ground, but John grabs the man's arm, pins him down and cuffs him. Angela acts like a hitchhiker but then shoots the driver dead (we hear, but don't see the impact). Kate grabs Rome from behind as he drives a semi's cab. John jumps onto the back of a semi's cab, comes around the side, grabs Angela from the passenger seat, and throws her out into the path of an oncoming truck that smashes into and presumably kills her. Rome then shoots at John, but Kate knocks the gun aside. With John then locked on the outside of the cab and Kate cuffed to a horizontal pole in the back, Rome proceeds to drive through various structures to try to knock John off the side of the truck, eventually succeeding. Rome then drives through something that results in a massive explosion, engulfing the truck in flames. Rome then bails out, leaving Kate still cuffed in the back section of the cab as the truck runs into a building and into various gas canisters that similarly explode. The end result is the burning truck then crashes through the end of the building and into a body of water, quickly sinking as Kate frantically tries to get out. Rome and John fight, with the former bashing the latter with some sort of pipe, followed by both delivering punches. Rome then bashes a huge mallet into John's side and then tries to strike him with a running chainsaw (as John blocks the blade with a huge wrench). John then kicks him back and repeatedly pummels him, resulting in part of a burning structure collapsing on Rome. Rome, with a very bloody and quite burned face, suddenly wraps a chain around John's neck. John fights him off (with a backwards head-butt), gets the chain around Rome's neck, tosses him aside, and then yanks the chain hard, presumably breaking the villain's neck. Reviewed October 13, 2006 / Posted October 13, 2006

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