R.J. Stewart Movies

Beck (The Rock) is a "retrieval specialist" in hock to a powerful and not particularly nice gentleman named Walker (William Lucking). Beck is anxious to retire from his dangerous work and open a small restaurant. Walker tells Beck he'll be free and clear with enough cash to fulfill his dream if he does one more job. He sends Beck into the Brazilian rainforest to bring back his wayward son, Travis (Seann William Scott). Travis is down there looking for a legendary idol, El Gato Diablo, which he could sell for millions if he found it. A pretty local, Mariana (Rosario Dawson), offers Travis the use of her boat in exchange for a cut of the take on the statue. But the powerful Hatcher (Christopher Walken) owns the area's huge mine, where locals work for slave wages, and feels that anything found in the area is his property. He refuses to let Beck take Travis back to the U.S. until the statue is in his hands. Using his estimable fighting prowess (he doesn't like guns), Beck manages to get Travis out of town, but Travis doesn't want to go home, and he ends up getting them stranded in the jungle, where they're confronted with horny monkeys and angry guerrillas. To make matters worse, Hatcher and his thugs are hot on their trail, and Mariana turns out to have her own motives for getting involved. The Rundown, the second film directed by actor Peter Berg (Very Bad Things), features a brief, uncredited cameo by Arnold Schwarzenegger. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of Xena: Warrior Princess' two-part finale, Xena (Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) are summoned to Japan, there to save the city of Higushi. Upon arrival, the ladies find the city in the clutches of a group of savage samurai, headed by evil samurai ghost Yodoshi (Adrian Brown). In order to rescue the villagers and free some 40,000 enslaved dead souls, Xena must do battle against Yodoshi -- but she herself must be dead to do it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of Xena: Warrior Princess' own "Ring Trilogy," Xena (Lucy Lawless) heads to the land of Norse, there to destroy the beast Grinhilda, whom she inadvertently created during her warrior-princess days. The lovely, enigmatic Brunnhilda (Brittney Powell) explains to Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) how Xena's past misdeeds -- including a torrid affair with Norse God Odin (Alexander Petersons) -- has wrought terror upon the land. Gabrielle also learns of Xena's role in forging the all-powerful Rheingold ring. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) heads off to the North African land of Poteidaia, there to rescue her kidnapped niece, Sarah (Tandie Wright), from the warlord Gurkhan (Calvin Tuteao). Unfortunately, Gurkhan is something of an archaic Saddam Hussein: Not only has he managed to elude everyone who's ever tried to nab him, but no one is certain what he looks like, or even if those who claim to be Gurkhan are telling the truth. Figuring that the cards are stacked against Gabrielle, Xena (Lucy Lawless) slips her a mickey and attempts to track down Gurkhan herself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Evil robots, gratuitous explosions, and babes in silver lame bikinis. Set in 2525 after robots called Bailles have forced Earth's human population to retreat underground, a duo of nubile warriors fight their mechanical oppressors. Sarge (Victoria Pratt) and Hel (Gina Torres), who can communicate with a mysterious voice in her jaw, stumble upon Cleopatra (Jennifer Sky), a valley girl/exotic dancer from 2001 who slipped into a coma after a botched boob job. The three join forces and fight the robots. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

It sure looked like curtains for Xena: Warrior Princess at the end of the series' fourth season, what with both Xena (Lucy Lawless) and her traveling companion, Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), being crucified by the Romans, the fulfillment of a prophecy by the evil shamaness Alti (Claire Stansfield). But given the amazing recuperative power of our heroines, both of whom had spectacularly arisen from the dead on previous occasions, it came as no surprise during season five that reports of their permanent demise were highly exaggerated. But though Xena and Gabrielle are eventually restored to the land of the living, they still have their share of trials and tribulations. Impregnated under mysterious circumstances, Xena gives birth to a daughter named Eve, an "immaculate conception" tied in with Gabrielle's devotion to the martyred prophet Eli (Tim Omundson). It soon develops that Eve has been targeted for extermination by the Olympian Gods, the result of a prophecy that the girl's birth would be the beginning of the end of the Gods' rule over Earth. As for Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), she is afforded the opportunity to ascend to the throne of Queen of the Amazons -- but this honor may require her to inflict heavy and horrible punishment upon her old friend Joxer (Ted Raimi). Joxer truly becomes "old" rather suddenly two-thirds of the way through the fifth season -- in fact, in one fell swoop 25 years pass by, during which both Xena and Gabrielle are in a state of suspended animation, frozen in a block of ice. Upon thawing out, the ladies discover that their old adversary Ares (Kevin Smith), God of War, has a powerful new ally: Fierce female warrior Livia, "The Bitch of Rome." Xena is disheartened to learn that Livia is none other than her own, grown-up daughter Eve (Adrienne Wilkinson), with whom she may be forced into mortal combat for the good of humankind. As in past years, season five bade goodbye to some familiar characters while introducing new ones. The most significant farewell was that of Joxer, who dies at Livia/Eve's hands. But the spirit of Joxer lives on, figuratively speaking, in the form of his stalwart son, Virgil (William Gregory Lee). Also in the tradition of previous seasons, the fifth-year run of Xena: Warrior Princess ended with a cliffhanger. This time around, Xena engaged in hand-to-hand combat against the Olympian Gods, with the fate of all the combatants remaining in the balance until the beginning of season six. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season five of Xena: Warrior Princess begins on a bleak note, inasmuch as both the titular Xena (Lucy Lawless) and her traveling companion, Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), had been crucified by the Romans at the end of season four -- thereby fulfilling the prophecy of the evil shamaness Alti. As Xena and Gabrielle's friends Joxer (Ted Raimi), Amarice (Jennifer Sky), and Eli (Timothy Omundson) mournfully set about the task of recovering their bodies, a full-scale war rages between Heaven and Hell to claim the ladies' souls. And thanks to the perfidy of Xena's old enemy Callisto (Hudson Leick), the spirit of Gabrielle is veering dangerously toward the Demonic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tara (Shiri Appleby), that bad-attitude teenager with warrior-princess aspirations, hopes to discredit Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) so that she can become the partner of Xena (Lucy Lawless). As part of this strategy, Tara offers to lead Xena and Gabrielle to the stolen urn of Apollo, picking fights with Gabby all along the way . But can terrible teen Tara be trusted when the inevitable bad guys inevitably show up? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Kathryn Morris makes her first series appearance as zealous female preacher Najara. Spreading the good word of "The Light," Najara has won over many converts, including Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor). But Xena (Lucy Lawless) suspects that Najara is a fraud -- and her suspicions are confirmed when several people who haven't quite seen "The Light" end up dead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In part one of Xena: Warrior Princess' fourth-season opener, Gabrielle is dead, having sacrificed herself at the altar of Dahak to thwart the villainy of her evil daughter, Hope. The grieving Xena (Lucy Lawless) searches for Gabrielle in the Underworld, but Hades (Erik Thomson) insists that she never showed up. Guided by eerie but somehow familiar voices, Xena ends up in the Amazon Land of the Dead, where Gabrielle's spirit now resides. While seeking out her departed friend, Xena recalls her past experiences with the evil shamaness Alti (Claire Stansfield). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

During a typical 24 hours in the life of a former Warrior Princess, Xena (Lucy Lawless) must prevent a warlord from destroying a village, stop a battle between two giants, and contend with a villager named Hower (Murray Keane) who has fallen in love with her. All the while, she must also try to keep Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) from driving her crazy. And, oh yes, she even finds time to fly a kite. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Xena (Lucy Lawless) has journeyed to the land of Chin to fulfill her promise to kill the Green Dragon. Alas, she is thwarted in this mission by Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), who cannot bring herself to condone murder under any circumstances. As a result of Gabrielle's interference, Xena is sentenced to death. As she awaits her fate, Xena muses over her past relationship with Lao Ma (Jacqueline Kim) -- and the birth of one Ming T'ien. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hoping to purge some more of her inner demons, Xena (Lucy Lawless) visits the site of a city burned down by her former warriors. Before long, Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor) is captured by cannibals and Xena is seriously wounded while rescuing her friend. The only hope for Xena's survival is the legendary Healer of Mount Nestus. The first episode of a two-part story, "Destiny" is highlighted by a dazzling flashback sequence in which Xena relives the events leading up to her assuming the mantle of Warrior Princess. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide