The Rock
Movie, 1996, Named by fans, Set in First in the trilogy
The Rock is #21 of 48 in release order and #34 of 48 in chronological order in the Spiritual Trilogies.
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
General Francis Hummel, a decorated Marine angry that his men who died in covert missions were never honoured, steals rockets loaded with VX nerve gas, takes 81 tourists hostage on Alcatraz, and demands 100 million dollars for the families of the dead. The FBI's chemical weapons specialist Stanley Goodspeed is sent in with a Navy SEAL team, guided by John Mason, a British former SAS man held without trial for decades because he once stole secret government microfilm, and the only person ever to escape Alcatraz. Hummel's men ambush the SEALs in the shower room and kill all but Goodspeed and Mason. Mason slips away to see his daughter, Goodspeed recovers him, and the two disable rockets one by one while the government readies an air strike on the island with thermite. Nicolas Cage's turn as an action lead begins the Cage Uncaged Trilogy, a fan name for his three back-to-back action hits of 1996 and 1997.
The Rock ending explained
Goodspeed stops the last rocket and waves off the air strike, and Mason goes free. Hummel aborts his last launch and refuses to kill civilians; his own officers shoot him. Goodspeed and Mason fight the remaining men, and Goodspeed kills the last of them, stabbing atropine into his heart after a VX sphere breaks near him. He lights green flares as the jets arrive, and one plane drops its bombs into the sea. Goodspeed tells his bosses Mason died. Mason tells him where the microfilm is hidden, and Goodspeed later goes to recover it with his girlfriend Carla.
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 Three Colours: Red, before Con Air.
- Chronological order: after The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, 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.