The Rock

When deciding which film to watch with my girlfriend and my flatmate one night it was revealed that I had never seen The Rock, which was shocking to all involved. Not only had I never seen it, but I had never even heard of it. Apparently it was a fantastic film which was proclaimed as ‘Michael Bay’s best film’ by one flatmate. It’s about a group of soldiers who take a number of hostages on Alcatraz, with the goal of doing something sinister. The FBI sends in the marines to recapture ‘the rock’ but the only man who can help out is the only man who has ever broken out.

The whole film is very typical of Michael Bay. There is a comic air to the film, with an explosives budget that could solve the problems of a few small countries. It is undoubtedly a very cheesy film, but it is very enjoyable all the same. Nicholas Cage stars as the young agent who naturally finds himself thrust in the middle of a crisis. Sean Connery also appears as the criminal roped in to helping the FBI, John Mason. In addition, Ed Harris appears as the leader of the rogue band of soldiers. There is nothing incredible about this film, except maybe the scene with the tram. The dialogue is beyond shocking, but not atypical of Michael Bay, and there are some lines which you cannot help but cringe at.

Nicholas Cage is one of those actors that everyone seems to rave about. I haven’t seen that many Nicholas Cage films, and I suspect that The Rock is not the best film to start with. I found his character supremely annoying in this film, and couldn't work out whether Agent Goodspeed is meant to be portrayed in this way. I thought that his acting left quite a lot to be desired in this film, but then it occurred to me that most of the acclaim for this film probably rests on the fact that it is a bit silly and probably isn't meant to be taken quite so seriously.

I love Sean Connery, and he has starred in some of my favourite films ever. In The Rock he plays the former British agent imprisoned in Alcatraz and does so brilliantly. I get the feeling that alongside General Hummel, Mason is the only character that is meant to be taken a little more seriously. Then again, maybe not. Either way, I really liked his character here and he is the only one who seems to have any real complexity. He is keen to build up a relationship with his daughter, who he has never met because of his long imprisonment. The image of Sean Connery in this film before he is made-over is very imposing, and the scenes with Connery’s character in are among the most entertaining of the film.

I have only seen two films that Ed Harris has been in, and in both he plays quite an intimidating character. In A Beautiful Mind he is the hallucination of the FBI agent that continually haunts John Nash’s life. In The Rock he is the leader of the rogue soldiers who take hostages on Alcatraz. He is very imposing and has a strong presence on the screen. The scene in which he and Sean Connery face off is quite enthralling, and I found myself mildly entertained by the politics among the soldiers towards the end of the film.

As with all Michael Bay films, you don’t have to be paying too much attention to get what’s going on. You don’t have to be paying too much attention either. The action is very entertaining, and although now comes across as immensely clichéd, at the time it was probably less so. Once you watch the entire film, the ending is brilliant and I found myself to be genuinely tense about what was going to happen. Naturally it was quite obvious that in the end the good guys would win and the bad guys would be defeated. Given that it is a Michael Bay film, the bad guys would probably be defeated in a theatrical (and largely expensive) manner, and the film does not disappoint.

The Rock is an entertaining action film which does not require much focus to enjoy. It is one to watch with a few friends, and will definitely make you laugh a number of times. It is so enjoyable that it almost doesn’t matter that it is cringing, cheesy and very silly. It is not essential that you go out and watch it though, and you’re life is not completely empty if you do not see it.