As far as former-professional-wrestlers-turned-actors go, Dwayne ‘Don’t Call Me The Rock’ Johnson has been by far the most successful in pulling off the transition to Hollywood movie star. Fully capable of tackling straight-up action (Fast and Furious 6), crime capers (Pain & Gain), light comedies (The Other Guys) and even family fare (Race to Witch Mountain), Johnson now goes one step further in expanding his repertoire by venturing into dramatic thriller territory with a nuanced, toned-down performance that is actually/impressively/surprisingly his best yet.

In Snitch, Johnson plays John Matthews, a construction company owner who is devastated when his eighteen-year-old son is wrongly accused of drug trafficking and sentenced to a ten-year mandatory prison sentence. Desperate to help him, Matthews makes a deal with the opportunistic District Attorney (Sarandon) to work as an undercover informant and infiltrate a drug cartel in order to earn his son’s freedom.

Now, before you go thinking that the film consists of The Rock single-handedly laying the smack down on the entire Mexican drug trade, it’s worth reiterating that this is no action flick. Snitch is closer to a drama/thriller, touching on issues such as unjust prison sentencing and family ties, and only occasionally allowing for Johnson to flex some muscle, such as in the spectacular, monster-truck-fuelled final act. That said, it’s still a gripping (if implausible) grounded film full of twists and turns, with Johnson’s solid performance making the whole thing worthwhile – a far cry from his first film role as a CGI man-scorpion in The Mummy Returns, and for that we should be thankful.