The Rock (1996)

A renegade general and his group of U.S. Marines take over Alcatraz and threaten San Francisco Bay with biological weapons. A chemical weapons specialist and the only man to have ever escaped from the Rock attempt to prevent chaos.

Director:

Michael Bay

Writers:

David Weisberg (story), Douglas Cook (story),

Stars:

Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Connery	...	John Patrick Mason
Nicolas Cage	...	Stanley Goodspeed
Ed Harris	...	General Francis X. Hummel
John Spencer	...	F.B.I. Director Womack
David Morse	...	Major Tom Baxter
William Forsythe	...	Ernest Paxton
Michael Biehn	...	Commander Anderson
Vanessa Marcil	...	Carla Pestalozzi
John C. McGinley	...	Marine Captain Hendrix (as John C. Mc Ginley)
Gregory Sporleder	...	Captain Frye
Tony Todd	...	Captain Darrow
Bokeem Woodbine	...	Sergeant Crisp
Jim Maniaci	...	Private Scarpetti
Greg Collins	...	Private Gamble
Brendan Kelly	...	Private Cox

Storyline

Stanley Goodspeed, who lives in Washington D.C., is a biochemist who works for the FBI. Soon after his fiancée Carla Pestalozzi announces that she is pregnant, Stanley gets a call from FBI director James Womack. Womack tells Stanley that San Francisco's Alcatraz Island has been taken hostage, along with 81 tourists, by marine General Francis Xavier Hummel who, for years, has been protesting the government's refusal to pay benefits to families of war veterans who died during covert military operations. The death of his wife Barbara Hummel on March 9, 1995 drove General Hummel over the edge, and now he's holding hostages in order to get his point across. Stanley is needed because General Hummel has stolen some VX gas warheads and has announced that he will launch them onto San Francisco unless his demands are met. Stanley knows how to disarm the bombs, but Stanley needs someone who knows Alcatraz well enough to get him inside. That man is former British intelligence agent John Patrick ...

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Plot Keywords:

alcatraz | general | fbi | rocket | hostage | 

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Taglines:

From Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer the producers of "Top Gun" and "Crimson Tide", and from Michael Bay, the director of "Bad Boys."

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, language and a sex scene

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 June 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

La Roca

Filming Locations:

Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

JPY 139,255,900 (Japan) (15 November 1996)

Gross:

JPY 115,615,300 (Japan) (29 November 1996)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hollywood Pictures, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Beatles LP that Goodspeed buys is 'Meet The Beatles'.

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Goofs

While on approach to Alcatraz the FA/18 Hornets can be seen with no weapons load-out making it impossible to drop thermite plasma on the island.

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Quotes

[first lines]
General Hummel: Congressman Weaver and esteemed members of the Special Armed Services Committee, I come before you to protest a grave injustice... It has to stop.

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Connections

Referenced in Cinematographer Style (2006)

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Soundtracks

"San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)"
Written by John Phillips
Performed by Scott McKenzie
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Slick and powerful.

This is a brilliantly original movie that sees a USMC General out to get justice for the betrayal of fellow soldiers during various conflicts. Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris are all on top-form in their roles as an SAS former convict (Connery), an easy-going government chemical weapons expert (Cage) and a disgruntled war hero (Harris). The bulk of the movie takes place on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, where Ed Harris' character has stolen poison gas rockets and is holding the city to ransom. Michael Bay delivers brilliant action sequences with massive enthusiasm, resulting in high-octane scenes. The movie also bosts a powerful and emotional score right from the opening credits. The movie never gets boring or confusing and is dazzling all the way to the final, explosive climax. This is a movie best suited to die hard action fans due to it's loud, over-the-top style. Michael Bay proves to be one of the best action film directors with this movie which is one of the best of 1996.