Rock, The (1996)
THE SCOOP
Director: Michael Bay
Cast: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris
Plot: A renegade general and his group of U.S. Marines take over Alcatraz and threaten San Francisco Bay with biological weapons. A chemical weapons specialist and the only man to have ever escaped from the Rock attempt to prevent chaos.
Plot: A renegade general and his group of U.S. Marines take over Alcatraz and threaten San Francisco Bay with biological weapons. A chemical weapons specialist and the only man to have ever escaped from the Rock attempt to prevent chaos.
Genre: Action / Thriller
Awards: Nom. for 1 Oscar - Best Sound.
Runtime: 136min
Rating: M18 for strong violence, language and a sex scene.
IN RETROSPECT (Spoilers: NO)
IN RETROSPECT (Spoilers: NO)
Michael
Bay used to make excellent action films, or maybe just one. The Rock stands as an anomaly in the director’s resume that consists
mostly of films that are trash such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
to the borderline watchable such as The
Island (2005).
After showing he could transit from shooting music videos to action features with his debut buddy cop actioner Bad Boys (1995), he pulls a quick rabbit out of the hat with The Rock, a film starring Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris in what is now considered one of the more memorable action films of the 1990s.
After showing he could transit from shooting music videos to action features with his debut buddy cop actioner Bad Boys (1995), he pulls a quick rabbit out of the hat with The Rock, a film starring Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris in what is now considered one of the more memorable action films of the 1990s.
The Rock sees General Hummel (Harris) and his
section of U.S. Marines going renegade by taking over Alcatraz, the notorious
prison that lies off San Francisco Bay, and threatening to kill hundreds of
thousands of nearby city dwellers with sarin gas. Hummel wants a huge sum of
money to pay soldiers their rightful due for their sacrifices for their
country.
As the deadline looms closer, options become severely limited. Not unless the U.S. government sends a chemical weapon specialist with no combat training, and a former prisoner of Alcatraz who is the only man ever to escape from “The Rock” to save the day.
As the deadline looms closer, options become severely limited. Not unless the U.S. government sends a chemical weapon specialist with no combat training, and a former prisoner of Alcatraz who is the only man ever to escape from “The Rock” to save the day.
Cage
and Connery play the film’s two lead protagonists. The performances all-round
are excellent, especially if you make comparisons to “actors” like Shia LaBeouf
or Ben Affleck today.
For an action film, the characters in The Rock are well-developed in the first two acts, but Hummel’s motivation in the final act shows signs of weakness as it comes into conflict with what has transpired before. This seeming implausibility would have been a major sore point for some if not for Bay’s skills as an out-and-out entertainer. And yes, The Rock is remarkably entertaining, and we are in a forgiving mood.
For an action film, the characters in The Rock are well-developed in the first two acts, but Hummel’s motivation in the final act shows signs of weakness as it comes into conflict with what has transpired before. This seeming implausibility would have been a major sore point for some if not for Bay’s skills as an out-and-out entertainer. And yes, The Rock is remarkably entertaining, and we are in a forgiving mood.
The
best action set-piece of the entire film comes in the first half – a thrilling
car chase down the streets of San Francisco with loads of collateral damage,
and ends with typical Bay bombast. That means a yellow Ferrari has to be
destroyed in the most heartbreaking manner possible.
The second half of the film confines itself in Alcatraz, with a mix of stealth and armed combat providing some testosterone-filled moments. Direct references to Aliens (1986) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) are evident as Bay takes command.
The second half of the film confines itself in Alcatraz, with a mix of stealth and armed combat providing some testosterone-filled moments. Direct references to Aliens (1986) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) are evident as Bay takes command.
All
this to the rock-inspired original score by Hans Zimmer, whose mid-nineties
work marked a shift to a more epic sound that reached its zenith with Gladiator (2000). And he has stayed at the top
of his game ever since, perhaps even usurping John Williams as the most popular
film composer working in Hollywood today.
It is a compliment to say that The Rock is an old-school action film that satisfies by entertaining. It is also fair to say that it is Bay’s best film to date. And considering the work the director has been churning out in recent years, I would be most surprised if he ever scaled such heights again.
It is a compliment to say that The Rock is an old-school action film that satisfies by entertaining. It is also fair to say that it is Bay’s best film to date. And considering the work the director has been churning out in recent years, I would be most surprised if he ever scaled such heights again.
GRADE:
B+
OST:
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