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Movies / On DVD / The Rock
The Rock

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The Rock (1996)

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Reviews Counted:46

Fresh:30

Rotten:16

Average Rating:6.5/10

Consensus: For visceral thrills, it can't be beat. Just don't expect The Rock to engage your brain.

Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: In Michael Bay's THE ROCK, gung-ho general Francis Hummel (Ed Harris), armed with deadly chemical rockets and aided by violent cohorts, takes over the island of Alcatraz, holding 81 tourists... In Michael Bay's THE ROCK, gung-ho general Francis Hummel (Ed Harris), armed with deadly chemical rockets and aided by violent cohorts, takes over the island of Alcatraz, holding 81 tourists hostage. Hummel promises to deploy the missiles over San Francisco if Washington doesn't make amends to ignored combat victims to the tune of $100 million. A cadre of Navy SEALs are dispatched to quell the situation, assisted by the mysterious, macho John Mason (Sean Connery), the only man to ever escape from Alcatraz, who must now help the SEALs break back in. Joining them is mild-mannered chemical weapons expert Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage), who is unaccustomed to such things as guns and military maneuvers. Their high-octane mission is filled with surprises, particularly after Hummel and company quickly annihilate the SEALs--leaving Mason and Goodspeed to save the day all by themselves. [More]

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn, William Forsythe, David Morse, John C. McGinley, Bokeem Woodbine, Vanessa Marcil, Claire Forlani, Brendan Kelly, David Bowe

Director: Michael Bay

Director: Michael Bay
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Screenwriter: David Weisberg, Douglas S. Cook, Mark Rosner
Producer: Don Simpson
Composer: Nick Glennie-Smith, Harry Gregson-Williams

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Dec 2, 1997

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Rock

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
10/18/08
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
10/18/08
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Slick, brutal and almost human, this is the team-spirit action movie Mission: Impossible should have been.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
09/19/08
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's an action junkie's angry fix -- 130 minutes of sound and fury, signifying nothing but big bucks and boundless contempt for viewer intelligence.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/19/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Providing an endless stream of one-liners, which put in check any of the films pretensions towards seriousness, Connery brings life to an otherwise formulaic movie.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/19/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Un festival de démolition aussi grandiose que profondément immature

Full Review Source: Panorama | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jean-François Vandeuren
Jean-François Vandeuren
Panorama

Entertaining action, nothing more nor less.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Chris Hewitt (UK)
Chris Hewitt (UK)
Empire Magazine

Fake countdown and knowing reactionary tone, but the best SF car chase to date.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Wally Hammond
Wally Hammond
Time Out

The movie, directed by sophomore Michael Bay (Bad Boys) is almost unwatchable.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment 3 Comments
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Extremely far-fetched, but undeniably exciting.

comment Comment
01/23/06
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

A rousing action picture with generous dashes of humor, The Rock remains the much-maligned director's best film

Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment Comment
08/06/05
Mark Pfeiffer
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema

It may not be an original, but it's certainly a good knock-off.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

The movie's extreme violence, exhausting action and macho posturing make it an unlikely ticket choice for women and unsuitable for children.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment 4 Comments
06/25/04
Judith Egerton
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

A huge, noisy mess.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
06/18/03
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

No review available.

comment Comment
05/20/03
Jim Shelby
Jim Shelby
Palo Alto Weekly

Connery was very good in this role, and his presence is the reason why The Rock doesn't suck as bad as it could have.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/20/03
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

The dialogue is real sharp and perky, and cool one-liners abound. Oddly enough, the thing that works the least in the film is the action.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

A violence-intoxicated, far-fetched, morally corrupt drama.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
06/11/02
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Rock is a B-movie blast!

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
06/11/02
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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