One such endeavour is Southland Tales, and though it's by far the most unprofitable film on this list (grossing only $374k while costing $17 million to make), it was in 2007 a promising sign of one of the more interesting creative directions Dwayne Johnson's career could take. Working under young writer-director Richard Kelly (Donnie Darko), expectations were extraordinarily high for another mind-bending dose of WTF, and though the film was most certainly WTF, it received a modest greeting from critics, who found it too confusing for its own good. I saw Southland Tales a long time ago and, frankly, I can't remember much of it. I know that I enjoyed its audacity in spite of its muddled narrative, but the film didn't hurt The Rock's career one bit, as few expected a film this obtuse to actually do anything at the box office. It proved that Johnson could operate outside of the more typical circles for an actor of his type, and demonstrated he was capable of far more than many had expected of him at the time.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
