The Rock

Unfortunately, the only way to do this is to get inside Alcatraz, under the watchful eyes of Hummel. The FBI enlists the aid of John Mason (Sean Connery), an expert on the prison island. He is a former spy of the British Secret Service, caught in the 60’s; he has spent his life since incarcerated in American maximum-security prisons. His possession of  extremely sensitive information has kept him isolated for those 30 years  in fact, he has been imprisoned without a trial  and thus, unsurprisingly, is not at his most cooperative. However, since he is the only person ever to have escaped Alcatraz, however, he is also the only logical choice as the leader of a SEAL team trained to infiltrate the fortress.

“The Rock” is a modern, quick edited movie, out for some really big thrills... and it delivers them big. One of the highlights is its hairy car chase sequence through the streets of San Francisco. It’s been a while since we saw a good car chase in a movie, and this one definitely kills them all, wrecking small cars, big cars, cable cars, motorcycles and a bright yellow Ferrari in the course of it, never taking itself too seriously.

There is one aspect that bothered me about the movie, however: How come the antagonists in Hollywood movies always have German names?

Come on, Hollywood, wake up. Isn’t it time to sweep clean these prejudices? The man is in the US Army, for God’s sake and he is highly decorated, too. Why of all people does he have to carry a German name? While we’re on the topic of bad guys, who would you guess the bad guy to be in this movie? It’s neither Hummel nor Mason. The answer is the US Government, selling lives for nickels. And herein lies the strength of “The Rock”. The cast is perfect, and all the characters are portrayed so well that it is nearly impossible to tell whose performance is the better one. Each performance is absolutely superb, convincingly humorous, and absolutely human. Hummel is desperate when he actually has to pull the trigger on the USsoldiers who infiltrate Alcatraz to take him and his men out. As Connery states during the movie, "He's a soldier, not a murderer. I can see that in his eyes."

Mason is an  angry man and loving father who has spent most of his life behind bars without trial, or, indeed, any semblance of justice. Goodspeed is a slightly geeky, straightforward, honest guy who rises to the occasion while fighting his own inner fears and problems. Connery and Cage make a fun, excellent couple, delivering just the right sense of humor to moderate the intensity of this action packed roller-coaster.

The movie features a rich Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack with a very wide soundstage. The effects are nice and make good use of the surround channels. Especially the explosions are really kicking. It comes fully dubbed in English and French with subtitles in English and Spanish, selectable from the disc’s interactive menu.

“The Rock” is a breathtakingly fast-paced action thriller that speaks loudly against the government’s practice of concealing its secrets, though you might not be aware of it at all times. Despite its considerable length, it will keep you on the edge of your seat for all of its 136 minutes. You’ll be lucky if you remember to grab for your popcorn . It is a rush!

November 1997

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