--- title: "The Rock" year: 1996 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-rock" fi1m_id: "the-rock" imdb_id: "tt0117500" tmdb_id: 9802 wikidata_id: "Q216720" fi1m_score: 78 critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 13 published: "2026-09-13" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:19.433290+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Rock (1996) Directed by Michael Bay · 2h 17m · MPA R · Action, Adventure, Thriller ## Identity The Rock - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-rock - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-rock - **IMDb ID:** tt0117500 - **TMDB ID:** 9802 - **Wikidata ID:** Q216720 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117500/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/9802, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q216720 **Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 67 from 13 reviews *In a sentence:* Nicolas Cage worries enough for two men, leaving Sean Connery free to be difficult > Michael Bay’s *The Rock* is loud, implausible and good company, largely because Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris make the nonsense worth following. The editing occasionally makes following it harder than necessary. ## Synopsis Five million lives depend on two men getting into Alcatraz, a prison that only one man has ever escaped. Sean Connery plays John Patrick Mason and Nicolas Cage plays Dr Stanley Goodspeed, the pair at the centre of the mission. Ed Harris plays their opponent, Brigadier General Francis X. Hummel. Michael Bay directs an action thriller that takes in a San Francisco car chase and a military confrontation at Alcatraz. The cast also includes John Spencer as FBI Director James Womack, David Morse as Major Tom Baxter and Michael Biehn as Commander Charles Anderson. ## Review Michael Bay’s *The Rock* is good, noisy action entertainment, kept lively by three actors who give us reasons to care about an implausible story. Two men must get into Alcatraz because five million lives depend on it. Bay treats this as permission to make a considerable mess, and his enthusiasm for the destruction is often infectious. The trouble comes when he presses just as hard on material that would benefit from being left alone. Sean Connery’s John Patrick Mason and Nicolas Cage’s Dr Stanley Goodspeed are an enjoyable pairing because they seem so ill-suited to working together. Cage’s anxious energy gives the action a welcome uncertainty; we do not get the usual reassurance of a hero entirely at ease with danger. Connery’s confidence is funny without much apparent effort. Their exchanges make the pauses between set pieces worth waiting for, even when the dialogue gives them little help. Ed Harris gives Brigadier General Francis X. Hummel enough troubled conviction to make the opposition interesting. The character’s conflict comes across in the performance without Harris having to beg for our sympathy, and it gives the confrontations a weight that the plotting cannot supply on its own. Harris commands attention without competing with the noise around him. This kind of action thriller needs someone who can make its threat worth taking seriously, particularly when the other leads are such entertaining company. We were properly excited by the San Francisco car chase, where Bay’s appetite for destruction has a clear purpose and the stunt work supplies its own pleasure. John Schwartzman’s photography gives the action an emphatic scale, although that insistence can become tiring elsewhere. Michael White’s production design makes Alcatraz feel difficult to move through, a useful obstacle for a film so keen on speed. There is enough here to look at without Bay continually hurrying us towards the next thing. Richard Francis-Bruce’s editing is less dependable, sacrificing clarity too often in the effort to sustain momentum. Fast cutting is useful when it sharpens the danger, but here it sometimes makes the action harder to follow. The score by Nick Glennie-Smith and Hans Zimmer contributes plenty of drive and too little relief, pressing for excitement when the scene has already earned it. We would have welcomed more restraint in passages where the actors or the stunts were doing quite enough. The screenplay, credited to Douglas S. Cook, Jonathan Hensleigh, Mark Rosner and David Weisberg, gives these actors some stubbornly second-hand dialogue. It also demands a tolerance for implausibility that the speed can disguise only for so long. Yet the central pairing survives the weak lines, and Hummel’s conflicted position gives Harris something substantial to play. At 137 minutes, the film has time to wear out some of its welcome, particularly when another burst of urgency feels much like the last. By the standards of the action thriller, the casting makes an important difference: these are people we enjoy watching deal with a problem. Bay’s staging gives them enough forceful spectacle to justify the scale of the threat, even if his impatience occasionally spoils the view. There is little here for anyone who needs a plot to survive close inspection. Choose it for an evening of action, and keep control of the volume. *Fi1m score 78, published 13 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics enjoy The Rock and say so plainly: it is loud, fast and silly, and it works. The praise clusters around Michael Bay’s staging of the action, with the San Francisco car chase named more than once, and around the three leads. Ed Harris’s conflicted villain is singled out most often, followed by the pairing of Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery. Several later reviews, looking back after two decades of Bay, call it his best and most coherent film, largely because the writers reined him in. The reservations are about volume and credibility. Even the admirers concede clichéd dialogue and an implausible plot. The three dissenters go further: the Los Angeles Times and The New Yorker both describe a film that pounds the viewer into submission, and Eye for Film finds it over-edited, with weak leads. The spread is wide, from 25 to 90, and the later reviews are noticeably warmer than the first wave. ## Straight answers **Is The Rock worth watching?** *The Rock* is worth watching for anyone who wants loud, implausible action carried by good actors, and we scored it 78. Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris make the nonsense worth following, and the San Francisco car chase is properly exciting. It is not for anyone who needs a plot to survive close inspection, and at 137 minutes it wears out some of its welcome. **How long is The Rock, and what is it rated?** *The Rock* runs 2h 17m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is an action and adventure film. **Where can I watch The Rock in the US?** *The Rock* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Rock, and is it suitable for children?** *The Rock* carries a UK 15 certificate, which means sustained action violence and language pitched at adults and older teenagers rather than children. Michael Bay treats the story as permission to make a considerable mess, and the car chase and military confrontation at Alcatraz are noisy and destructive. It is exciting rather than frightening, but it is not a film for younger viewers. **How does The Rock compare to Speed?** *The Rock* is the bigger and noisier of the two, while [*Speed*](https://film.one/film/speed) is the tighter and more disciplined action thriller. Both rest on an unlikely partnership making an outrageous threat feel worth taking seriously, but Jan de Bont keeps his story to a bomb on a bus where Michael Bay keeps hurrying us to the next explosion. Choose *Speed* for economy and *The Rock* for Connery, Cage and Harris. **What should I watch after The Rock?** After *The Rock*, try [*Speed*](https://film.one/film/speed) (1994, Fi1m 86): Another unlikely partnership makes an outrageous threat feel worth taking seriously. Then [*Ronin*](https://film.one/film/ronin) (1998, Fi1m 80): Tense teamwork and car chases for those who prefer less reassurance. ### Reviews we read (13) - **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (90/100, inferred): This is a pure popcorn picture that is inescapably entertaining, a high-octane kick-butt actioner with top-flight actors and an ultra-slick package. Director Michael Bay delivers a hard-hitting, fast-moving thriller that works overtime to engage the audience. [Read](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/the-rock-2-1200446070/) - **Radio Times**, John Ferguson (4/5): The critic calls it the most satisfying of Michael Bay's blockbusters and praises its role in establishing Nicolas Cage as an unlikely action hero. Bay's enthusiasm for stunts and destruction proves highly contagious. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-q2fcos/the-rock/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (80/100, inferred): The critic delivers a positive verdict on this slam-bang action thriller, praising its style, humor, and efficient direction by Michael Bay. He singles out the skillful, quirky performances by Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris for particular praise. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-rock-1996) - **Empire**, Chris Hewitt (75/100, inferred): The critic finds The Rock breathlessly exciting despite its loud, bombastic style and editing flaws. Standout elements include Bay's action choreography and Ed Harris' conflicted villain, along with the strong buddy chemistry between Cage and Connery. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/rock-review/) - **The AV Club**, Tom Breihan (75/100, inferred): The critic offers a positive retrospective verdict, calling it Michael Bay’s best and most coherent film while acknowledging its excesses. He singles out Ed Harris’s layered, authoritative performance as the standout villain for praise. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/cage-and-connery-bust-into-the-rock-the-one-good-movie-1798258993) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Hunter (70/100, inferred): The critic calls it an above-average big-budget action film with enough macho behavior and explosive thrills to please genre fans, despite credibility problems. The fast, ferocious direction and solid performances from the lead trio make the slick, silly ride entertaining. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-rock-review-movie-sean-connery-nicolas-cage-1235917569/) - **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (70/100, inferred): The film is pure why-not bravado, pumped-up and staggeringly dishonest but exciting just the same. It features stylish, crazily vigorous elaboration on a bare-bones storyline with flagrant salesmanship in its shooting and editing. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/07/movies/film-review-break-into-alcatraz-why-not.html) - **Time Out**, WH (70/100, inferred): The review praises Bay for propelling a mix of combat war movie, Die Hard-style actioner and adventure on high octane despite clichéd dialogue and implausible plot. It singles out the best San Francisco car chase to date. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-rock-2) - **The New Yorker**, Terrence Rafferty (40/100, inferred): The film pounds the captive viewer into submission with nonstop action in a manic style. Connery is up against something bigger and scarier than Alcatraz in this huge-scale action movie. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/06/17/1996-06-17-101-tny-cards-000152803) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (30/100, inferred): The film is a nonstop aural bombardment that beats viewers into submission, slick and forceful but largely unconcerned with character. It epitomizes trends in Hollywood filmmaking that have made many people very rich while impoverishing audiences. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-07-ca-12444-story.html) - **Collider**, Sam Barsanti (85/100, inferred): The critic praises The Rock as Michael Bay's best film, highlighting its pure form of Bay's bombast with restraint, strong buddy chemistry between Cage and Connery, and how it avoids the excesses of later Bay movies. They single out the action-buddy dynamic and Connery's contribution for praise. [Read](https://collider.com/30-years-later-the-rock-michael-bay-action-epic-still-holds-up-as-his-best-film/) - **Paste**, Jacob Oller (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it Michael Bay’s best film due to its contradictions and how writers reined in Bay's style, making it insightful about patriotism and masculinity while delivering over-the-top action. They praise the cast ensembles, especially Harris, and the self-aware, self-loathing elements in the action sequences. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/michael-bay/the-rock-michael-bay-anniversary) - **Eye for Film**, Gator MacReady (25/100, inferred): The critic finds The Rock a clumsy, over-edited action film stretched thin with extraneous subplots and weak leads in Cage and Connery. He singles out Hans Zimmer's score, the supporting cast, and Alcatraz sets for mild praise but deems the movie inferior overall to Executive Decision. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-rock-film-review-by-gator-macready) ## Details - **Director:** Michael Bay - **Director:** Michael Bay - **Screenplay:** Douglas S. Cook, David Weisberg, Mark Rosner, Jonathan Hensleigh - **Cinematography:** John Schwartzman - **Editor:** Richard Francis-Bruce - **Music:** Nick Glennie-Smith, Hans Zimmer - **Production design:** Michael White - **Costume design:** Bobbie Read - **Producer:** Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer - **Cast:** Sean Connery as John Patrick Mason; Nicolas Cage as Dr. Stanley Goodspeed; Ed Harris as Brigadier General Francis X. Hummel, USMC; John Spencer as FBI Director James Womack; David Morse as Major Tom Baxter; William Forsythe as Special Agent Ernest Paxton; Michael Biehn as Commander Charles Anderson; Vanessa Marcil as Carla Pestalozzi - **Runtime:** 2h 17m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 7 June 1996 - **Genres:** Action, Adventure, Thriller - **Budget:** $75 million - **Box office:** $335 million ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $4.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-13.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1997: Best Sound (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Speed* (1994), Fi1m 86: Another unlikely partnership makes an outrageous threat feel worth taking seriously. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/speed.md) - *Crimson Tide* (1995): Military authority gets a sterner examination, with two actors worth listening to. - *Police Story* (1985): For physical action staged clearly enough to appreciate the risk and the joke. - *The Train* (1964): A military thriller whose practical action makes every obstruction matter. - *Ronin* (1998), Fi1m 80: Tense teamwork and car chases for those who prefer less reassurance. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ronin.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-rock