I have been on a real Nic Cage 90s flick kick lately and the other night I watched The Rock for the first time in many years. Released in 1996 and brought to us by Michael Bay, The Rock is a damn fun action movie. It does have many “Michael Bay” elements that I think will make this a movie that you either like or you do not. If you like Michael Bay’s brand of explosions and fast action, you will sure as hell get a kick out of this.
How to Download The Rock
The Rock was released on June 7, 1996. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like Nicolas Cage, check him out in more recent films such as Dream Scenario or The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.
The Movie Review
Have you ever watched a movie for the first time in many years and been shocked at how it was different than what you remembered? That was the kind of experience I had with The Rock. Do not get me wrong, I still really enjoyed my time watching this, but there was a huge part of the movie that I completely forgot about and it was cool to experience that.
The Premise and Characters
The plot of the movie is pretty awesome. Ed Harris plays a Brigadier General called Frank Hummel. Hummel is an absolute war hero, one of the greatest of all time, but he is sick of the way that fallen troops and their families have been forgotten and treated. While he is the antagonist of the movie, you can see where he is coming from and I guess you would have to say that his motives for what he is doing are noble.
Hummel puts together an elite team of the best of the best. Hummel’s team storm a Naval base and steal a very dangerous chemical weapon and then take over Alcatraz. I think that the movie does an amazing job of showing just how dangerous this chemical weapon is, it also shows that Hummel and his second-in-command are willing to do whatever it takes to complete their mission.
While on Alcatraz, Hummel and his team lock up the tourists that are on the island. The movie again shows what kind of character Hummel is as he tells the kids he comes across that they need to tell their teacher they need to get off the island. Hummel has several missiles armed with the chemical weapon and then he makes the call to set his demands. He wants over 100 million dollars, but he wants it to pay the families of those he feels were done dirty by the government.
The Government’s Response
The government is freaking out as Hummel is one of the greatest generals of all time and he knows all their secrets, but they have a plan. Turns out that the government has had a man called Mason locked up for decades, Mason is the only man to have escaped Alcatraz and live and he is the key to stopping Mason. Mason knows the underground tunnels of the prison and can get a crack team inside Alcatraz to try and take down Hummel, and his men and stop the missiles.
Mason is played by Sean Connery and he is so badass in this role. I grew up in Scotland so Sean Connery is a national treasure and he is amazing in this movie. The brains of this operation though is FBI Agent Goodspeed, played by Nic Cage. Agent Goodspeed is a chemical weapons expert and he is the only one that can safely disarm this dangerous chemical compound.
I got a huge kick out of watching this movie as this is full-on crazy Nic Cage and it was a blast! One of the most awesome things about The Rock was that I forgot how long it took Mason and Goodspeed to get to Alcatraz! We get a thrilling escape and chase scene through the streets of San Fransico that is about as over-the-top Michael Bay as you can get. I 100 percent forgot about this part of the movie and it was so exciting to watch.
Final Thoughts on The Rock
The Rock holds up really well. It is not my favorite Nic Cage action movie of the 90s, but it is still a lot of fun. I also just learned that there was going to be a sequel to this with Mason and Goodspeed teaming up again! Man, it really sucks that we never got the chance to see that before Sean Connery’s passing as I am sure it would have been a lot of fun. I watched this on Disney Plus, but if they ever make a 4K of this I will add it to my collection.
