Dwayne Johnson back to action-hero mode in 'Faster'

LOS ANGELES - "Faster" is stripped for action without a moment wasted on unnecessary dialogue, exposition or nuances.

It starts the moment Dwayne Johnson's archetypical character Driver sprints out of prison after 10 years in stir and doesn't stop until a bullet penetrates the brainpan of the last bad guy. Directed by George Tillman Jr., "Faster" possesses the white-heat fervor of '70s exploitation movies with a refreshing emphasis on actual stunts involving cars, weapons and actors who buffed up in the gym for months. No sissy CGI stuff here. (Okay, it's minimal.)

This is a guy's movie, where the female characters are as tough as the men. One woman celebrates her wedding with target practice out in the desert. She hits everything she aims at and doesn't even bother to take off the wedding dress.

So while some family members may frolic Thanksgiving weekend with young wizards, a fairy-tale princess, a rom-com or a musical, guys will watch football -- or take in "Faster." This counter-programing might actually work. The CBS Films release gets a head start on the holiday by opening Wednesday.

Johnson, formerly The Rock, says goodbye to his Disney period to return to the kind of raw action that made his name. He plays a man so single-minded that a simple 'hello' would be a distraction.