The Rock (1996)

I have the same reaction to "The Rock" now that I did the first time I saw it in 1996. It's a fun, eye-popping action movie, with great turns by Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris. But it's an overblown mess.

The plot: A group of disgruntled U.S. Marines take over the Alcatrez prison tourist attraction, with 80-odd hostages. They seek money for perceived injustices, or they'll fly chemically-armed missiles into San Francisco, killing thousands. Enter Cage (as an FBI chemical weapons specialist), Connery (a former inmate of the prison and a military whiz from Scotland) and a platoon of Navy SEALS to the rescue.

That portion of this Michal Bay film is outlandish fun. But, this being Michael Bay, the outlandish fun must be taken to 42 on 10-scale. This guy doesn't know subtle. Hence, we get an unneeded, overlong, loud and explosion-filled car chase about a half-hour into the film with Connery in a Hummer being chased by Cage in a Ferrari on S.F.'s famous streets. The scene takes forever and kills the plot's momentum.

The whole film, which includes Bay's trademark slow-mo, American flag waving shots of hard-on patriotism -- might be a headache if it were not for the villains. Without giving anything away, Harris, along with costars Bookine Woodbine, David Morse and others, act out (wonderfully) varying shades of violence and evil. It's a nice surprise in a formulaic action film. Also welcome: the great chemistry between Connery and Cage, who at this point in his career had not yet sailed too far over the top. B-