Review of The Rock (1996) by Tyler E — 05 Aug 2013

Directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson, who had just come off a big success with Bad Boys (1995). This is a taut and fun action thriller, which showed Bay at his best, if that's possible.

Plus, he scored major bonus points by getting a very good cast in for the film. It is very silly in places, but it manages to be great fun, and it was one of the great action films of the 1990's, and it has stood the test of time as well.

General Francis Xavier Hummel (Ed Harris) has always protested that families of dead war veterans should get benefits, after the government refuses again, Hummel snaps and with a band of mercenaries, goes to Alcatraz Island, and takes it hostage, along with 81 visiting tourists.

He also has gas warheads which Hummel threatens to launch across San Francisco if his demands are not met. FBI director James Womack (John Spencer) calls upon biochemist Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) and prisoner John Mason (Sean Connery) to get into Alcatraz to stop Hummel.

Mason is chosen because he was the only man to escape from Alcatraz, but that was kept a secret. It has some brilliant action sequences throughout, and it has fun playing around with conspiracy theories and government cover-ups too, plus Bay has fun on the streets of San Francisco and in the near-derelict old prison, this is a very exciting action film.