The Scorpion King (2002)

The Scorpion King (2002), an action adventure film directed by Chuck Russell, features Dwayne Johnson in the lead role. Set before the time of the pyramids, it tells the story of a powerful conqueror named Memnon who terrorizes local tribes with his sorcerer’s foresight. Only three true Akkadians, Mathayus, Jesup, and Rama, are left to face the threat and are hired by King Pheron to kill Memnon’s sorcerer for twenty blood rubies. Sneaking into Memnon’s camp, they are ambushed by guards who were warned by Pheron’s son Takmet, a traitor who kills his own father. In the chaos, Rama falls and Jesup is taken captive. Upon locating Memnon’s sorcerer, Cassandra, Mathayus chooses to spare her before getting captured. In the midst of this ordeal, he also witnesses the execution of his brother and is then buried in the desert, with only his head sticking out, as a target for fire ants the next morning.

But thanks to the assistance of a fellow prisoner named Arpid, a skilled horse thief, Mathayus manages to escape and is determined to complete his mission of seeking revenge for his brother’s death. With the help of a street urchin, he sneaks into Gomorrah, Memnon’s stronghold. The young boy guides him through the palace and leads him to Philos, a court magician who sympathizes with their cause. Philos points him towards the courtyard where Memnon can be found training. Despite his plan to shoot Memnon from a watchtower, Mathayus ends up saving the street urchin from having his hand cut off by Takmet on suspicion of theft. Narrowly escaping Gomorrah with Cassandra in tow, Mathayus continues on his quest for vengeance.