Taylor gets tough

Taylor Lautner was born to be an action star.

At just 13, he showed off his extreme athleticism and martial arts prowess in The Adventures Of Sharkboy And Lavagirl (2005).

It was just a few years later that he landed the role of Jacob Black in Twilight.

The franchise went on to be a humongous success, and Lautner went on to become a household name.

There was just one problem.

Playing a lovesick werewolf wasn't exactly the best showcase for Lautner's physical talent.

He showed off his buff bod, but not his killer moves.

Now with new action thriller Tracers, the still-young 22-year-old is finally in a film that makes the best use of his mad skillz.

Opening here on Feb 26, Tracers is the story of Cam (Lautner), a bicycle messenger who takes up parkour in order to hook up with a hot babe (Marie Avgeropoulos).

He later learns that her gang is involved in crime, so he goes along with them in order to make enough cash to pay off his debts.

Lautner does a lot of his own stunts in the film, and he even gives guys like Jason Statham a run for their money.

The only things working against him as an action star are his youth and pretty looks.

A lot of action fans prefer their heroes to be grizzled.

PERFECT FILM

Tracers is still the perfect film for Lautner to transition from teen heart-throb to kick-butt tough guy.

In 2011, he tried to make the jump with Abduction, but he was just too young and the flick was just too terrible.

Tracers isn't terrible at all.

In fact, it's pretty good.

It's a film made in the same spirit as Point Break and The Fast And The Furious.

A young guy gets in over his head with some baddies, then has to prove he's even "badder" than them in order to get out of it.

Our lovesick werewolf is growing up.

jjohnson@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Feb 11, 2015.
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