Review: The Rock Stands Testament To What Action Was, And What It Could Be Again
- May 25, 2017
- 2 min read
Before he destroyed the Transformers, developed an unhealthy obsession with stereotypes and sequels and developed a deep love of digital effects, Michael Bay directed what might just be the greatest action film ever. Period.
Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage), an FBI gas and explosives expert, is picked up by the military for a top secret mission. General Francis Hummel (Ed Harris) having captured the prison island of Alcatraz, has aimed fifteen warheads armed with VX nerve gas, a highly toxic agent that will kill thousands. The army needs Goodspeed to defuse the weapons, but they need someone else to get him in. Enter John Mason (Sean Connery), ex-SAS, ex-intelligence and current resident of a maximum security prison, and the only man to successfully escape Alcatraz alive. Together with a team on Navy Seals, Goodspeed and Mason must infiltrate the rock, disarm the weapons and defeat Hummel before a force of fighter jets turn the island into a blistering inferno.
While not his first film, The Rock remains Michael Bay's best. It's loaded with excellent performances, great writing and some of the best action and music these kinds of films have to offer. It's the last good performance from Sean Connery and he makes the most of it, almost like he was planning on retiring. Cage ranges from over the top to reserved and quiet. Ed Harris is the star, playing the sympathetic villain in a manner that no one else could.
While the acting is indeed top notch, it's the action that makes the movie. Whether it's a Ferrari racing through the streets of San Francisco, a prison shower shootout or one hell of a Mexican standoff, The Rock brings it in spades. It's punchy, violent and hits like a punch to the chest. The Rock doesn't let up for a moment and it's so much better for it. Hans Zimmer's score is the bombastic icing on top of what is already incredible cake.
The Rock has aged incredibly well. It's plot is timeless, the execution perfect and the action is flawless. Any action fan who hasn't seen it, doesn't know what they're missing. Definitely check this one out.
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