The Rock (R)

“The Rock” is one of those action movies that reeks of the ‘90s, the kind of film that could only sneak out in that decade and have the effect it had. It’s directed by Michael Bay, includes a list of A-list actors, and features explosions and death defying stunts galore. The film is also quaint, born of a time where chemical weapons and a group of militant American terrorists were the most feared villains. Today one can imagine some genetically engineered threat and a group of foreign terrorists taking over this top billing. But at the end of the day “The Rock” is entertaining, and provides escapism in the truest sense – provided that is what you’re going for. 

The basic plot here is that a group of militants, led by the disgruntled General Francis X. Hummell (Ed Harris), besiege and take over Alcatraz, long since defunct. Alcatraz has since been rendered a mere tourist attraction; tourists that become collateral damage when they are kidnapped by Hummell and his crew (the most well known from the group being “24” alum Tony Todd and “The Green Mile’s” David Morse). Their demands: they have access to a chemical bomb, and will launch the missiles upon San Francisco if their demand of $100 million is not met within a short timeframe.

Of course, Alcatraz is intimidating enough, boasting no one has been noted to have escaped the island alive. But soon enough we learn that one man, named John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery) has accomplished this feat. And while he has been incarcerated the better part of his life for some crime involving stealing government secrets, he is offered pardon in exchange for helping an elite S.E.A.L team infiltrate Alcatraz and recover the missile weaponry.

“The Rock” is an exercise in the art of suspension of disbelief through and through. It’s filled with cliches:
the criminal mastermind who may be innocent, the cop just trying to do his job, the unlikely hero, etc. The hero here is a biochemist, the aloof Stanley Goodspeed (Nicholas Cage), who is sent to Alcatraz with Mason and the S.E.A.L team due to his expertise in defusing all sorts of bombs. These bombs are made out of VX gas. “What do you know about VX gas,” the FBI director asks. “It’s very very horrible sir,” Goodspeed retorts. And we believe him. We’ve already seen what the noxious fumes do to its hapless victims when Hummell and company initially secure the product.

Add Goodspeed’s pregnant girlfriend Vanessa Marcil, and you’ve rounded out the cast for this high octane film.

Action-wise, “The Rock” has the right stuff. There’s some exhilarating action sequences, the most effective the team’s infiltration into The Rock, as well as another involving a street chase through San Fransisco that is on par in property damage with any of James Bonds’ escapades. If anything can be criticized here, it’s that the film places a little too much forced interest on the matchup between the disgruntled Mason and the newbie Goodspeed, but honestly it’s all forgivable. Fans of action will cherish these sequences, and they keep the viewer’s interest throughout.

The score is what you would expect, whirring helicopters and blazing gunshots sandwiched in between thrilling music and suspenseful rhythms. It you’ve seen “Con Air” or “Armageddon,” this is familiar territory, and there’s really nothing new here.

Where the film breaks down somewhat is in the motive of the terrorists, which makes no coherent sense. At least in films like “Die Hard,” the villains wanted money, well, for the sake of wanting money. Here, the filmmakers try and give Hummell too noble a cause, and it backfires horribly. This is no more apparent than in the film’s semi-climax, where his unwillingness to possibly “go all the way” causes mutinous feelings among his factions, and a what just happened? feeling among the audience. Harris does a good job with what he has to work with; unfortunately what he has to work with isn’t much.

The other actors, from Connery to Cage to fan-favorite William Forsythe all do pleasing jobs, and I especially liked the Connery/Cage matchup. Both men grow throughout the movie and become likable characters Рeven if they are cloaked in clich̩. Supporting actors like Marcil and John Spencer add to the film in pleasing ways.

“The Rock” is good entertainment; that’s the best way to describe it. The pace is fast and the climax is pleasing. If you’re looking for suspense, action, explosions and shoot-em-ups circa 1990, you would be hard pressed to go wrong here. If you’re looking for a story with a little more depth, however, you might be led astray.

– by Mark Ziobro