The Bottom Line: Sink or Swim Time? Walker Dives ‘Into the Blue’ for a Hit

Going nowhere fast.

That sums up Paul Walker‘s career in the years since The Fast and the Furious and its Vin Diesel-less sequel.

After 2 Fast 2 Furious, Walker‘s Timeline disappeared in a heartbeat. And so did Walker.

Now Walker‘s back with four new films–including the treasure hunt that is Into the Blue–but the heat generated by The Fast and the Furious died long ago.

It is too little, too late for Walker? And for these other actors whose careers have slowed considerably after a fast start?

Paul Walker

Breakthrough Hit: The Fast and the Furious ($144.5 million)
Subsequent Hits: 2 Fast 2 Furious ($127.1 million)

Subsequent Misses Timeline ($19.4 million), Joy Ride ($21.9 million)

Upcoming: Into the Blue (Sept. 30), Running Scared (Jan. 6), Antarctica (Feb. 17), Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

The Bottom Line: Is there more to Walker than fast cars and fast women? Perhaps, but if The Deep-ish Into the Blue succeeds, it’s not because of Walker‘s pecs. All eyes will be on the bikini-clad Jessica Alba. Still, Walker‘s got three more chances to prove his worth, beginning with Running Scared and Antarctica. And Flags of Our Fathers, the Clint Eastwood-directed Iwo Jima-set World War II epic, could be a future Oscar contender. Eastwood obviously sees something in Walker that we’ve missed. But if Flags of Our Fathers flops, then Walker might sorely regret passing on Superman Returns and being pushed out of the driver’s seat for The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo.

Nick Cannon

Breakthrough Hit: Drumline ($56.3 million)
Subsequent Hits: Shall We Dance? ($57.8 million)

Subsequent Misses: The Underclassman ($5.3 million), Love Don’t Cost a Thing ($21.8 million)

Upcoming: Roll Bounce (Sept. 23), Jump Shot (2006)

The Bottom Line: Cannon acts, writes, produces, sings and hosts his own MTV comedy show. Is he’s taking on more than he can chew? Miramax obviously wasn’t too impressed with the job Cannon did as writer and producer of The Underclassman. And that certainly doesn’t inspire much hope for Cannon‘s next penned cop caper, Extra Protection. Just for now, Cannon should leave the writing to the pros and try to recapture the cocky charm he winningly displayed in Drumline.

Edward Burns

Breakthrough Hit: The Brothers McMullen ($10.4 million)

Subsequent Hits: Saving Private Ryan ($216.5 million)

Subsequent Misses: A Sound of Thunder ($1.8 million), Confidence ($12.4 million), Life or Something like It ($14.4 million), 15 Minutes ($22.4 million)

Upcoming: The Groomsmen (2006), Looking for Kitty (2006), The River King (2006)

The Bottom Line: Was it just 10 years Burns was declared the Irish-American Woody Allen? Well, if The Brothers McMullen is Burns‘s Hannah and His Sisters, we’re still waiting for his Manhattan. Instead, he’s dumped us with the dreary, self-important likes of No Looking Back and Ash Wednesday. As an actor for hire, Burns stood tall against Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan. But audiences clearly have little patience for the happy-go-lucky Irishman he constantly plays. But maybe Burns is ready to forgo the easy acting paychecks: he’s already directed two comedies in the past year–Looking for Kitty and The Groomsmen–that hopefully will begin to fulfill the promise of The Brothers McMullen.

Jim Caviezel

Breakthrough Hit:: The Passion of the Christ ($370.2 million),
Subsequent Hits: None
Subsequent Misses: I Am David ($284,002), Highwaymen ($367,027), Madison ($508,867), Final Cut ($548,039), Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius ($2.6 million)

Upcoming: Unknown (2006)

The Bottom Line: God works in mysterious ways. How else to explain Caviezel‘s fall from grace? After Passion, Caviezel endured five consecutive bombs that, luckily for him, few know exist. To be fair, he made these films before Mel Gibson shared his Passion with the world. Still, Caviezel doesn’t seem too interested in capitalizing on Passion, having made only one film since its 2004 release. In Unknown, five men–suffering from memory loss and trapped in a locked building-must match wits to survive their ordeal. Sounds like an intriguing melding of Memento and Saw that Caviezel no doubt hopes will make him less of an unknown.

Josh Hartnett

Breakthrough Hit: Pearl Harbor ($198.5 million)
Subsequent Hits: Black Hawk Down ($108.6 million), Sin City ($74 million), 40 Days and 40 Nights ($37.9 million)
Subsequent Misses: Wicker Park ($12.8 million), 0 ($16 million), Hollywood Homicide ($30 million)

Upcoming: The Black Dahlia (2006), Lucky Slevin (2006), Mozart and the Whale (2006)

The Bottom Line: Like Chris Klein and Ashton Kutcher, Hartnett‘s an expressionless pretty boy with little discernible talent. That’s OK when Hartnett merely had to dodge bullets and bombs in Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down. Just don’t ask Hartnett to get all emotional. He certainly can’t handle drama-Shakespeare would have cringed at Hartnett‘s idiot of an Iago in O-and he’s certainly lacks comic flair judging by Hollywood Homicide. And a little of Hartnett goes a long way, as evidenced by his Sin City cameo. Fingers crossed, Hartnett starts to apply himself, or at least take some acting lessons. If not, then The Black Dahlia and Lucky Slevin will only hasten his downfall.