Directed by Arnie Glimcher. Starring Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage, Ed Harris, William Forsythe, David Morse, Tony Todd, Bokeem Woodbine, John C. McGinley, John Spencer, Phillip Baker Hall, Claire Forlani, Michael Biehn. Action Synopsis: A group of rogue Marines led by a highly decorated General take a group of tourists hostage on Alcatraz and point 6 missiles containing poisonous gas at San Francisco and demand 40 million dollars as payment to them and the families of those soldiers killed in covert special operations missions. The FBI puts their best chemical/biological agent with a group of Navy Seals in an effort to disarm the Marines prior to the deadline, but they need the help of an aging Federal inmate, who is the only man to have successfully broken out of Alcatraz.This one is nothing but pure, non stop action from the adrenaline pumping beginning to the end. Stanley Goodspeed (Nicholas Cage Raising Arizona) is an FBI agent specializing in chemical and biological weapons but mostly in an advisory capacity. We get the feeling that his daily routine is mostly mundane, but things get interesting when he has to diffuse a package containing poisonous gas wrapped up with a bomb. If that wasn't enough to get the blood pumping, he finds out that he and his girlfriend (Vanessa Marcil) are going to have a little one, who has apparently decided not to wait until Ma and Pa are married to come a callin'. Well, as those of us who have been in that situation can tell you, it makes things mighty interesting.
But not nearly as interesting as they're going to get. A group of Marines, as we see from the opening scene of the movie, led by a living legend General (Ed Harris Just Cause), have stolen some missiles containing highly poisonous VX gas. Why did they do that? Well, we don't have to wait long for the answer: they take several tourists hostage during a tour of Alcatraz, and point the missiles right at the heart of San Francisco, demanding millions from the government as payment for those soldiers killed carrying out illegal and secret missions throughout the world.
It is into this timeticker that Goodspeed is thrust to be the on the scene biological expert. He will be supervised by the director of the FBI (John Spencer CopLand) and the director of the San Francisco office (William Forsythe iMurders). They will also have help from an unexpected source...John Mason (Sean Connery), a former British intelligence agent who has been held for years without trial and is the only man to have escaped from Alcatraz.
Well, right there we have one heck of a recipe for an action packed flick, but don't go thinking this movie is one dimensional, testosterone pumping "guy flick". It's not. Don't get me wrong, its unquestionably a testosterone pumping guy flick, but it has some subtext. Our two main protagonists, Goodspeed and Mason, both have issues with the women in their lives. As I mentioned, Goodspeed and his girlfriend are going to have a little one so that wedding date needs to get pushed up quickly.
The thing is, once Goodspeed gets to San Francisco, he tries to tell his girlfriend not to come for their little getaway because this is something just a little bit more intense than the training exercise he thought he was being called to conduct. Of course, he can't tell her exactly what is going on since that is classified. Well, they get a good start on what many of us consider to be the standard lot of married life when she refuses to listen to him and comes to San Francisco anyway. So, now Goodspeed not only has the lives of hundreds of thousands of Bay area residents in his hands, but the lives of the love of his life and his unborn child.
As for John Mason, he has been incarcerated for two decades but, like I said, he did escape once...just long enough to sire a child who he has never met since he was recaptured before she was born. But, when he briefly escapes for a while this time, he looks her (fortunately, she is in the book and not too far away) up and finds that his little girl, Jade (Claire Forlani Hooligans) is all grown up and open, if careful, about getting to know him...if he could just stop getting arrested by federal marshals.
Like any great action flick, The Rock has more than a handful of wonderful action sequences, starting with the opening scenes and continuing pretty consistently until the scenes when the final solution for the rogue Marines and Alcatraz itself is played out.
Connery is characteristically wonderful in what I feel is one of his most memorable roles. He plays well with Cage and the effective "buddy" setup works extremely well. But, to me, what makes this flick special is the incredibly strong supporting cast and notable performances in relatively small roles from Harris, Spencer, Forsythe, as well as rogue Marines Tony Todd (Murder-Set-Pieces), John C. Mcginley (Crazy As Hell), and David Morse (16 Blocks).
The rock is nothing but a pure thrill ride, with a bunch of cool scenes, more than a couple laughs, done with fine acting, FX, and directing. Action flick lovers, Cage or Connery fans, or fans of doomsday scenarions simply can't miss it.
Directed by Arne Glimcher Starring: Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Capshaw, Blair Underwood, Ed Harris, Kevin McCarthy, Daniel Travanti, Ruby Dee, Christpher Murray, Lynne Thigpen, Ned Beatty, Scarlett Johansson. Synopsis: A well respected Harvard law professor is asked by a condemned killer on death row in Florida to take up his case based on his innocence and conviction steeped in racial prejudice. 
