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Movies / On DVD / The Rock
The Rock

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The Rock (1996)

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65 %
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Reviews Counted: 46

Fresh: 30

Rotten:16

Average Rating: 6.5/10

Consensus: For visceral thrills, it can't be beat. Just don't expect The Rock to engage your brain.

Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: In Michael Bay's THE ROCK, gung-ho general Francis Hummel (Ed Harris), armed with deadly chemical rockets and aided by violent cohorts, takes over the island of Alcatraz, holding 81 tourists hostage. Hummel promises to deploy the... In Michael Bay's THE ROCK, gung-ho general Francis Hummel (Ed Harris), armed with deadly chemical rockets and aided by violent cohorts, takes over the island of Alcatraz, holding 81 tourists hostage. Hummel promises to deploy the missiles over San Francisco if Washington doesn't make amends to ignored combat victims to the tune of $100 million. A cadre of Navy SEALs are dispatched to quell the situation, assisted by the mysterious, macho John Mason (Sean Connery), the only man to ever escape from Alcatraz, who must now help the SEALs break back in. Joining them is mild-mannered chemical weapons expert Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage), who is unaccustomed to such things as guns and military maneuvers. Their high-octane mission is filled with surprises, particularly after Hummel and company quickly annihilate the SEALs--leaving Mason and Goodspeed to save the day all by themselves. [More]

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn, William Forsythe, David Morse, John C. McGinley, Bokeem Woodbine, Vanessa Marcil, Claire Forlani, Brendan Kelly, David Bowe

Director: Michael Bay

Director: Michael Bay
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Screenwriter: David Weisberg, Douglas S. Cook, Mark Rosner
Producer: Don Simpson
Composer: Nick Glennie-Smith, Harry Gregson-Williams

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Rock

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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Ratings Image

Providing an endless stream of one-liners, which put in check any of the films pretensions towards seriousness, Connery brings life to an otherwise formulaic movie.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/19/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Entertaining action, nothing more nor less.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Chris Hewitt (UK)
Empire Magazine
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Ratings Image

Fake countdown and knowing reactionary tone, but the best SF car chase to date.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Wally Hammond
Time Out
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Slick, brutal and almost human, this is the team-spirit action movie Mission: Impossible should have been.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
09/19/08
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
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Ratings Image

It's an action junkie's angry fix -- 130 minutes of sound and fury, signifying nothing but big bucks and boundless contempt for viewer intelligence.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/19/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide
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Ratings Image

Un festival de démolition aussi grandiose que profondément immature

Full Review Source: Panorama | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jean-François Vandeuren
Panorama
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The movie, directed by sophomore Michael Bay (Bad Boys) is almost unwatchable.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment 2 Comments
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Ratings Image

Extremely far-fetched, but undeniably exciting.

comment Comment
01/23/06
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily
Ratings Image

A rousing action picture with generous dashes of humor, The Rock remains the much-maligned director's best film

Full Review Source: Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema | comment Comment
08/06/05
Mark Pfeiffer
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema
Ratings Image

It may not be an original, but it's certainly a good knock-off.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/09/05
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
Ratings Image

The movie's extreme violence, exhausting action and macho posturing make it an unlikely ticket choice for women and unsuitable for children.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment 2 Comments
06/25/04
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
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A huge, noisy mess.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
06/18/03
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
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No review available.

comment Comment
05/20/03
Jim Shelby
Palo Alto Weekly
Ratings Image

Connery was very good in this role, and his presence is the reason why The Rock doesn't suck as bad as it could have.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/20/03
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews
Ratings Image

The dialogue is real sharp and perky, and cool one-liners abound. Oddly enough, the thing that works the least in the film is the action.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal
Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
06/12/02
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Ratings Image

A violence-intoxicated, far-fetched, morally corrupt drama.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
06/11/02
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
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The Rock is a B-movie blast!

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
06/11/02
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies
Ratings Image

In a summer already bursting at the seams with amazing special effects and star-driven excitement, The Rock redefines nail-biting suspense and heart-pounding action.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
06/11/02
Louis B. Hobson
Jam! Movies
Ratings Image

Above Mission Impossible and Twister put together. But being better than two bloated, style-over-substance movies does not equal good.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
06/05/02
Susan Lambert
Boxoffice Magazine
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for The Rock

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With his "Transformers" movie about to move into a worldwide full-court press push, director Michael Bay sat down with MTV's Josh Horowitz to discuss his "robots... More...

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