Tactical Force
October 31st sees the release of Tactical Force on Blu-ray and DVD. Starring World Wrestling Entertainment legend Steve ‘Stone Cold’ Austin in his best-ever performance, it tells the tale of an LAPD SWAT operation that quickly spirals out of control, with all-action results.
To celebrate the arrival of Tactical Force, we’ve been looking back at those, like Austin, who have managed the switch from Spandex to silver screen. After all, it could be suggested there’s a fair amount of acting practice required in their day job...
1. ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin
Billed as 'The Most Popular Superstar in WWE History', injury finally caused this six-time World Champion to leave the ring.
However, where other wrestlers have usually enjoyed only brief onscreen careers, Steve Austin is still going strong after a long string of ass-whooping roles. His acting credentials were already well-established, courtesy of a series on much loved US TV show Nash Bridges as Det.
Jake Cage, before his first film role in mega-hit The Longest Yard. He has since played perfected his niche as tough-guy antihero, dispensing his own brand of tough justice; most recently as an LAPD SWAT-team officer in the thrilling Tactical Force.
2. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
‘The Rock’ has found fame in three separate careers, overcoming the handicap of being christened with possibly the world’s least showbiz name.
He was a title-winning college football star, a world famous wrestling champion and, ultimately, an A-list action movie hero, contributing to such hits as The Mummy Returns (from which he fronted a successful spin-off as The Scorpion King’), The Expendables and Fast 5.
His forays into family comedy may seem less sure-footed, but yes, we can smell what The Rock is cooking... and we like it.
3. Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan is surely the most well-known professional wrestler in history. In his heyday, he lent his image to everything from dolls to lunchboxes, inspiring legions of ‘Hulkomaniacs’ around the world.
It may seem inevitable then that Hollywood came to call - but in fact it was the other way around; Hogan’s career in the ring was partly launched by his performance as Thunderlips in Rocky III.
He later returned to celluloid at the peak of his fame - clothes-lining the forces of evil in such profitable fare as No Holds Barred and Suburban Commando.
4. Andre the Giant
Andre the Giant’s story is truly the stuff of legend, and rather sad (he died at just 46 years old).
Too large to ride the school bus as a child, he ultimately grew to nearly 7½ feet tall and put his bulk to good use; becoming a much-loved wrestler and the first ever inductee into the WWF Hall of Fame.
His inclusion here is assured by his appearing as the loveable and heroic Fezzik in Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride - a tale of feats almost as awe-inspiring as the real-life Andre allegedly drinking 119 pints of beer in a single sitting.
5. Jesse Ventura
There’s not much that Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura hasn’t turned his hand to over the years. A belt-winning wrestler until his retirement in 1986, he moved into the political arena, becoming Governor of Minnesota before moving on to writing books and hosting TV.
However, it is his seminal role in 1987’s Predator alongside fellow politician Arnold Schwarzenegger that has secured him in the affections of men the world over.
Altogether now 'You’re bleeding! You’re hit!I ain’t got time to bleed...'
Tactical Force is released on Blu-ray and DVD on 31 October from Entertainment One
Tagged in Steve Austin