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THE ROCK
1/2
Jack Choo
Directed by: Michael Bay
Starring: Sean Connery (John Patrick Mason), Nicholas Cage (Stanley Goodspeed), Ed Harris (Brigadier General Francis X. Hummel), Michael Biehn (Commander Anderson).
Produced by: Hollywood Pictures / Simpson-Bruckheimer Prod.
Running Time: 2hrs 15mins
Rating: ***1/2 out of *****
Theatres: Everywhere.
...WHEN AN ALCOHOLIC MEETS JAMES BOND...
Even in the midst of TWISTER and INDEPENDENCE DAY-fever, Hollywood Picture's actioner THE ROCK still pretty much shines. Director Michael Bay teams up yet again with the Jerry Bruckhiemer and (the late) Don Simpson (TOP GUN, CRIMSON TIDE, BAD BOYS) after releasing the successful BAD BOYS last year. THE ROCK is a typical but solid Hollywood action movie, specifically designed for summer season...packed with breathtaking action sequences and an excess of pure violence (our censorship board has not been too kind on this).
Brigadier General Hummel (Harris) is tired of seeing his men killed in covert and illegally conducted military operations and not given the proper respect by the military due to the nature of their sacrifice. He gathers a few of his loyal men to steal the lethal VX poison gas from the highly secured military armoury and hijacks Alcatraz (aka THE ROCK), holding 81 tourists hostage. From there, he threatens to launch the missiles containing VX into the city of San Francisco unless the military high command gives those men who lost their lives in covert operations are given a proper burial and their families well taken care off.
As expected, they are considered terrorist by the military and will not negotiate. Instead, they send in Agent Goodspeed (Cage); a chemical weapons specialist and John Mason (Connery); a former inmate of The Rock who managed to escape the prison a long time ago. Together with a SEAL team, they make full use of Mason's knowledge to infiltrate The Rock and proceed to disable the VX missiles. Apparently, the VX gas is supposedly to be a lethal biological weapon; a spoonful of VX spread into the air is enough to take a few-city-blocks-worth of lives. Audiences may feel that Hummel's cause is not a good excuse for a plot but they will soon learn that Hummel is an obsessed man who has lost his way after so many years of fighting for recognition for his men. Obsessed to the point where he is willing to do just about anything to realise his cause.
Cage and Connery's combination on screen is a scream to watch. Goodspeed, a rookie who spends most of his time in a laboratory, finds himself in trouble trying to restrain and control Mason, a tough ex-british agent who was detained by the CIA for spying and dumped into The Rock back in the 60's. This incredible mix of of action and humour was also last seen in Michael Bay's BAD BOYS (Will Smith and Martin Lawrence) except in THE ROCK, the action is much more intense and violent. Sean Connery is indeed a man who commands respect on screen, even acedemy award winner Nicholas Cage is be-littled whenever Connery is on screen with him. The pacing of the film is very good, partly thanks to the furious soundtrack by Hans Zimmer, which did bear some resemblance to his work in CRIMSON TIDE.
After a string of Hollywood successes in recent years, the team of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer has I think achieved in Hollywood what Stock-Aitken-Waterman has done in the British music industry. Their movies, though similar in many ways, are very tightly and well produced and most important of all; they keep theatres packed. This is one typical action film which should manage to keep audiences interested without difficulty. Action-fans will not be disappointed.
The Flying Inkpot Rating System:
* Wait for the TV2 broadcast.
** A little creaky, but still better than staying at home with Gotcha!
*** Pretty good, bring a friend.
**** Amazing, potent stuff.
***** Perfection. See it twice.
Jack Choo still believes that STAR WARS is the greatest movie ever made and truly idolizes George Lucas. He started reviewing as a hobby (its still a hobby) about 1 1/2 years back when he was really bored during his industrial attachment. He can watch just about anything.
Other film reviews by this writer can be obtained from the InkVault by doing a key word search with this writer's name.Other film reviews by other writers can also be obtained from the InkVault through key word searches.
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