THE ROCK
A film review by Chad Polenz
Copyright 1997 Chad Polenz
**1/2 (out of 4 = OK) 1996, R, 136 minutes [2 hours, 16 minutes] [action] starring: Nicholas Cage (Dr. Stanley Goodspeed), Sean Connery (John Patrick Mason), Ed Harris (General Frank X. Hummel), John Spencer (FBI Director Womack), produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Don Simpson, written by David Weisberg, Douglas S. Cook, Mark Rosner, directed by Michael Bay.
I had a difficult time trying to finalize my verdict of "The Rock." It's completely over-the-top, but it knows this and makes no apologies. At times, it shows signs of originality, but sometimes it seems like another exhausting rip-off of a Schwarzenegger flick. I enjoyed it simply for the ride, but at the same time I couldn't help being cynical.
The film uses all the standard elements for action thrillers involving the government and terrorists: new weapons, government conspiracies, and a futuristic, high-tech mood. A ballistic U.S. General, Frank X. Hummel (Harris), has formed a militia of his friends and fellow Marines. His goal is to compensate the families of soldiers who were killed during secret government operatives. His team storms Alcatraz Island, holds 81 tourists hostage, and threatens to use a powerful chemical weapon against the city of San Francisco if he, his team, and the unhonored dead soldiers' families are not paid millions of dollars.
Had the film's biggest flaw not been so obvious, perhaps the countless other, smaller ones wouldn't have been as noticeable. Why would General Hummel resort to terrorism to extort money? In this age of technology and information (especially in the movies), wouldn't it be easier to steal money through computers? But then again, this is a matter of war-related honor, and no one can be more stern than insane militias with powerful weapons.
It's obvious someone is going to have to go in and stop Hummel, and the modern action movie needs an odd couple to make for characterization and comic relief. This is provided with the characters John Patrick Mason (Connery) and Dr. Stanley Goodspeed (Cage). Mason is the only person to ever have escaped Alcatraz, so the government needs his help to break in. Goodspeed is an FBI scientist who is experienced with the chemical weapons Hummel is armed with. Connery and Cage have some chemistry, with Cage as the so-called common man and Connery as an even older Schwarzenegger or Stallone-type character. Of course they constantly argue and threaten each other, but always save the other's life when minutes before they would have killed them.
But this is not a film about dialogue or characterization. It's an action movie, and there is action here, lots of it. There are car chases that have almost nothing to do with the plot; scenes in rooms full of gears, steam, and fire that don't do anything other than pose a threat to the heroes. There's lots of shootouts, fist fights, knife fights, people dangling from ledges, a long-lost daughter, a pregnant fiancee... but mostly there's just shootouts and fist fights. Not to mention the super suspenseful scenes where if the character twitches, all are dead.
Despite all these gratuitous elements, I never found myself feeling bored. At times I was a bit worn out by the action and the constant dragging and milking of the story, but never bored. The stunts and special effects are fantastic, but not necessarily impressive. For the most part, the dialogue and storytelling style are easy to swallow, although sometimes it becomes so trendy (a la Quentin Tarantino, James Cameron) it's distracting.
It's obvious "The Rock" doesn't want to be taken seriously, and for that it's enjoyable. Then again, it's not as lighthearted as it should have been, and thus it's difficult to appreciate it as quick fun.
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