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Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 18 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 47 Ratings

  • Starring: Ed Harris, Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery
  • Summary: All of San Francisco is taken hostage when a vengeful general (Harris) seizes control of Alcatraz Island, threatening to launch missiles loaded with deadly poison gas. With time running out, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert (Cage) and a notorious federal prisoner (Connery) have the skills to penetrate the island fortress and defuse the lethal situation. (Buena Vista Entertainment) Collapse
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 18
  2. Negative: 2 out of 18
  1. 88
    It's a popcorn-movie deluxe.
  2. 78
    The Guy Movie to end all Guy Movies, a ridiculously overblown summer testosterone blowout right down to the Wagnerian strains of the soundtrack and its stunningly high body count. It's also a hell of a lot of fun.
  3. Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    50
    Buried under an avalanche of action. (1996 June 7, pg. D1)
  4. 30
    If, at odd moments, The Rock is better than tolerable, it is usually because of its stars.

See all 18 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 13
  2. Negative: 1 out of 13
  1. paull
    10
    Geese ciritc do take sthings serouisly about the movie being bad but THIS is a good action movie with the breakthrough of nicolas cage and sean connery. They had great chemistry. Expand
  2. [Anonymous]
    8
    Believe it or not, Michael Bay did make a strong, GOOD action movie, and here it is.
  3. Why did I watch it?
    This is one of those films that I should have seen but for no particular reason I haven't. Instead I've managed to see Co
    n Air probably half a dozen times. What's it all about?
    Ed Harris plays disillusioned US general Frank Hummel, who leads his rogue team of Marines to seize control of Alcatraz, taking 81 hostages in the process. Armed with biological VX missiles aimed at San Francisco, Hummel demands funds for the families of those marines who have died in deniable operations. The US governments teams up FBI chemical specialist Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) with former SAS operative and Alcatraz inmate John Mason (Sean Connery) to save the day.

    Should you watch it?
    The Rock is a straight forward action film with no regrets. Bang for your buck director Michael Bay's second film delivers gun fights, car chases, explosions a plenty, all tethered to a pretty zany plot. He finds time to squeeze in some instantly recognisable shots, namely the slow motion shots of Cage getting to his feet a la Will Smith in Bad Boys.

    The three leads play there characters well. Harris plays Hummel dead straight and manages to give him several dimensions. Cage is his fairly usual character, the goofy, funny, out of place hero. Connery brings some extra class to the film although he does have a few cheesy lines that would make a Bond script look Shakespearian. Producers Bruckheimer and Simpson gave soundtrack duties to Hans Zimmer, who delivers another fantastic Zimmer special.

    As 1990's action films go, The Rock is up with the best of them.
    Expand
  4. Probably Michael Bay's best film... and I did NOT mean that as a compliment!

See all 13 User Reviews