The Rock
Movie, 1996, 1996–1999, Set in Alcatraz
The Rock is #18 of 26 in release order and #16 of 26 in chronological order in the '90s Action.
The story
When vengeful General Francis X. Hummel seizes control of Alcatraz Island and threatens to launch missiles loaded with deadly chemical weapons into San Francisco, only a young FBI chemical weapons expert and notorious Federal prisoner have the skills to penetrate the impregnable island fortress and take him down.
The Rock recap
Brigadier General Francis Hummel, angry that families of marines killed in secret missions were never compensated, steals rockets loaded with VX nerve gas and takes 81 tourists hostage on Alcatraz. He demands $100 million or he will fire the rockets at San Francisco. The FBI sends a Navy SEAL team with Stanley Goodspeed, a chemical weapons expert, and John Mason, a British SAS agent imprisoned for decades without trial, the only man ever to escape from Alcatraz. Hummel's men kill the SEALs in an ambush, leaving Goodspeed and Mason to stop the rockets themselves. Mason tries to run but returns.
The Rock ending explained
Hummel, never meaning to kill civilians, aborts the launches, and his own men turn on him and kill him. Goodspeed kills the remaining mercenaries, one of them with a VX bead, and disarms the last rocket by tearing out its guidance chips. He lights green flares to call off the air strike just in time. He tells the FBI that Mason died, and Mason gives him the location of secret government microfilm, which Goodspeed later collects.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Rock
The Rock is streaming on Peacock and YouTube TV in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Fandango At Home.
Ratings
IMDb 7.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 76%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Mission: Impossible, before Con Air.
- Chronological order: after Mission: Impossible, before Con Air.
Cast
- Sean Connery as John Patrick Mason
- Nicolas Cage as Dr. Stanley Goodspeed
- Ed Harris as Brigadier General Francis X. Hummel, USMC
- John Spencer as FBI Director James Womack
- David Morse as Major Tom Baxter
- William Forsythe as Special Agent Ernest Paxton
- Michael Biehn as Commander Charles Anderson
- Vanessa Marcil as Carla Pestalozzi
- John C. McGinley as Marine Captain Hendrix
- Gregory Sporleder as Captain Frye
- Tony Todd as Captain Darrow
- Bokeem Woodbine as Sergeant Crisp
Directed by Michael Bay.