Rock The (BD)

Stellar cast. Stellar plot / story. Stellar acting from ALL. Plenty of action, some humor, and suspense! Need I say more?? Worth at LEAST a rental if you don't want to commit to buying it!!!

The name Michael Bay and the phrase "great film" don't often appear together. Bay has proven with films such as Armageddon and the Transformers franchise to be the poster child of the current Hollywood "wham-bam-thank you ma'am!" style of filmmaking. That is to say, the kind of filmmaking that emphasizes style over substance. And yet, back in the mid-1990s, Bay got the mix right for one film. That film was The Rock. Part of which is down to the film's cast and, in particular, its trio of lead actors. Sean Connery was having something of a comeback in the 1990s, and the film is a prime example of that. He exudes presence from his first scene nearly a half-hour into the film (despite his top billing) right up to his final shot. Whether he's making quips ala James Bond (perhaps appropriately enough as his character of Mason is a former British agent) or taking on antagonists half his age while being a reluctant father figure to Nicholas Cage's character, Connery is watchable throughout. As are the other two members of the leading trio. The Rock seems to be the film that established Nicholas Cage as a bit of an action star, and it is here that his quirky but reluctant hero persona works best. That might be down to how well the thrown together relationship between his character of FBI chemical weapons specialist Goodspeed and Connery's Mason works. Rounding out the trio is Ed Harris' villain, Marine Corp Brigadier General Frank Hummel, the proverbial "good soldier" gone bad. What's fantastic about Harris' performance is that Hummel is in many ways sympathetic, a commanding officer who has seen too many men fight and die for their country without recognition. What he's after isn't some madcap take over the world scheme but a desperate, last-ditch attempt to have his men recognized but going about in a way that can only end tragically. Harris brings all these elements out in his performance, rounding off the lead cast with an underrated villain. The supporting cast is strong as well, often featuring character actors. There's the late John Spencer, on the eve of success in The West Wing (a series created by uncredited Rock scriptwriter Aaron Sorkin), as the FBI director reluctant to bring an imprisoned Mason out into the world again but forced to watch as events unfold. William Forsythe and Michael Biehn both come across well in their roles as the FBI special-agent-in-charge and as the leader of a Navy SEAL team sent in alongside Mason and Goodspeed. The highlights of the supporting cast though lie in the men occupying the former prison alongside Harris' general from David Morse as his second in command Major Baxter as well as Tony Todd and Gregory Sporleder in stand out supporting roles where they offer a considerable amount of menace. They are just a few highlights from a strong cast. Being a Bay film, it's a visually stunning action film. From the stealing of the nerve gas by Hummel's Marines to a destructive car chase across San Francisco, the film's first hour showcases kinetic action sequences alongside its exposition to keeps the viewer's attention glued to the screen. Once the film gets Mason and Goodspeed to Alcatraz in its second half, the film becomes a set of running battles involving the duo against the Marines. And yet, Bay proves he is just as capable of handling somber pieces such as the military funeral that helps form the opening credit sequence or the quieter scenes with Connery. Bay's direction, the cinematography of John Schwartzman, and the editing of Richard Francis-Bruce make The Rock an action spectacle. One with a difference, however. What separates this film from virtually everything Bay has directed to date (and his many imitators) is its script. The Rock is an intelligently plotted thrill ride full of intriguing characters and plot twists from its well-realized lead characters to its conclusion with all the complications that ensue. It also helps that the film is full of witty dialogue from Mason's quips to many of the exchanges between Mason and Goodspeed. In a way, that the script is so good is a surprise given that a team of writers worked on it from the three credited writers (David Weisberg, Douglas S. Cook, and Mark Rosner) to uncredited contributions from Aaron Sorkin in addition to favored Connery script doctors Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement. The result, however, is a better-written action flick than one might expect and the one example I can think of many hands producing a superb script. The Rock then stands as perhaps the single best thing to come out of Bay's directorial career. It was here that he found the right recipe between casting, action, spectacle, humor, and plot. Maybe that's why, more than twenty years later, the film holds up as one of the best action films of the 1990s, as thrilling now as it was then.

Love the movie.

Outstanding! Even after all these years, this is an incredible movie.

The Rock is an extraordinary action film with pure adrenaline pumping in its veins as lethal VX gas threatens to kill hundreds of thousand in the San Francisco bay area. This will lead into a high speed nitroglycerine race against time where a group of highly trained marines led by Brigadier General Francis X. Hummel (Ed Harris) decides to turn into a terrorist. Hummel invades Alcatraz and takes tourists' hostage as he plans to shoot rockets with lethal VX gas into the city of San Francisco, unless the United States answers his demands. The United States answers by sending a group of Navy SEALS led by Commander Anderson (Michael Biehn) and two oddities, a geriatric ex-SAS operative and a tense chemist. The real weapons against the Hummel are the former SAS soldier, John Mason (Sean Connery), and the chemist, Dr. Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage). Mason has been locked away in secret in a United States prison for the last three decades, one of these prisons used to be Alcatraz from which Mason also escaped. Goodspeed is a laid-back chemist that works for the FBI's chemistry unit that has never been outside of a laboratory, which makes him more of a hazard than an asset as they enter the undergrounds of Alcatraz. Michael Bay brings the audience a film full of daunting stunts, explosions, and shoot outs. The special effects are a big part of this carnival of sound and color which is tied together neatly with a decent story. The story is well balanced with good actors and well developed characters. For example, the evil Hummel is not just a bad guy as he also has a deeper moral value, which fuels his anger that drives him to this madness. Goodspeed is obsessed about vinyl records and his wife just got pregnant. These small character traits that are portrayed on the silver screen enhance the cinematic experience as it brings texture to the story, which offers humor, suspense, and drama.

My kids are going through a Nick Cage phase and there was no way we were going to miss The Rock. Man I forget how stacked this cast was, not just stars but some of the best character actors, John C McGinley, Tony Todd, John Spencer, Michael Biehn, David Morse, Phillip Baker Hall...I mean these are some tier 1 character actors of their time. Then you have Ed freakin' Harris. It doesn't matter if a script is bad he is going to deliver it like its a Shakespeare play, his entire being refuses to ever give a bad performance. Sean Connery is action Sean Connery here, which is funny how obvious his stunt double cuts were. ahhh the 90s, it didn't have to be perfect, it just had to be entertaining. Speaking of, Nick Cage is always entertaining, and this might be my favorite action performance from him because his line delivery is top tier here, he will make the most mundane line equal parts quirky and hilarious. Fast paced action, nice shots of the Bay, obligatory San Fran car chase scene, good fight scenes and good deaths. Pure 90s action at its best.

One of the best action movies of the 90s.

Great story. Some parts are edge of your seat intense action. Some parts pull the heart strings. Also there are patriotic elements, espionage and parts that make me laugh out loud. Sure, you haven't seen it? You're missing out

Bra Film...

Für mich einer der besten Actionfilme überhaupt. Da passt alles. Das ist Michael Bay Peak. Hier hat er schon bombastisch inszeniert, ohne zu ausschweifend und zu drüber zu sein. Es ist alles dabei an Action, was man von einem Actionfilm erwartet. Die Story ist für einen Actionfilm mehr als ausreichend und packend erzählt. Der Soundtrack von Hans Zimmer einfach nur Hammer. Auch die Schauspielerische Leistung sehr gut. Nicolas Cage als der Chemie Nerd, der zum Helden Widerwillen wird und Sean Connery als in Misskredit geratener Agent. Er kann hier durchaus an seine Rolle als James Bond anknüpfen. (Es gibt ja auch die Theorie, das sei ein inoffizieller Bondfilm, soweit würde ich jetzt nicht gehen, aber Connery spielt hier (im Gegensatz zu anderen Rollen aus der Zeit) mit viel Spielfreude und überzeugend). Auch Ed Harris als vielschichtiger Bösewicht, mit eigentlich guten Absichten, aber den falschen Mitteln, passt sehr gut. Auch die restlichen Rollen sind gut und passend besetzt. Vom Gesamtpaket einfach ein hervorragender Actionfilm, bei dem alles passt und den man sich immer wieder mal anschauen kann, auch wenn man ihn schon mehrmals gesehen hat. Die Blu-Ray hat die gewohnte Qualität. Ist jetzt aber auch nicht speziell. Leider gibts keine 4K Variante, aber dafür kann ja die Blu-Ray an sich nichts. Habe mir die Blu Ray gekauft, weil ich kein Disney Plus mehr habe und den Film sonst nur auf DVD hatte. Da war mir das Upgrade für knapp 7 Euro auf die Blu Ray wert. Fazit: Für mich einer der besten Actionfilme überhaupt, den ich mir immer mal wieder gerne ansehe.

C'est un bon produit qui m'a été livré dans les temps. Le vendeur est fiable et professionnel

Una dupla inusual, uno de los mejores actores (Sean Connery) y uno de la a más exagerado (Nicolás Cage) juntos en una película palomera.

The Rock is the best action movie ever made in my humble opinion. Accidentally bought a second Blu-ray, so now I have a sealed one :)