Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

The Rock
1996
***½
Director: Michael Bay
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn, David Morse, John Spencer, William Forsythe, Vanessa Marcil, John C. McGinley

A disillusioned General and his rogue army unit hold more than 80 people hostage in Alcatraz and threaten to attack San Francisco with a nerve agent. An FBI chemical weapons expert teams up with a convict, who knows how to break into the prison. This bombastic action movie laid the formula for Michael Bay's subsequent output. It delivers quintessential 90s action with several slow motion shootouts and explosions, and tons of smashed glass. Sure it's dumb, but this one stands out in Bay's filmography, because the characters, even the villain, are layered and well-drawn. Sean Connery gives another commanding performance.