The Rock
Directed by	Michael Bay
Produced by	Jerry Bruckheimer Don Simpson Louis A. Stroller Sean Connery William Stuart
Written by	David Weisberg (also story) Douglas S. Cook (also story) Mark Rosner
Starring	Sean Connery Nicolas Cage Ed Harris
Music by	Nick Glennie-Smith Hans Zimmer Harry Gregson-Williams
Distributed by	Hollywood Pictures
Release date(s)	June 7, 1996 (U.S.) June 7, 1996 (Canada) June 21, 1996 (UK) July 26, 1996 (Australia)
Running time	136 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	US$75 million
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Rock (1996) is an Academy Award nominated action film that primarily takes place on Alcatraz Island, and the San Francisco Bay area. It was directed by Michael Bay and stars Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris. It was produced by Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer and released through Disney's Hollywood Pictures. The film is dedicated to producer Don Simpson, who died five months before its release. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (512x755, 122 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. ... Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1945) is a film and television producer in the genre of action, drama, and science fiction. ... Donald Clarence Simpson (October 29, 1943 - January 19, 1996) was an American film producer. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a retired Scottish actor and producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a retired Scottish actor and producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films. ... Nicolas Cage (born January 7, 1964) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. ... For other persons of the same name, see Edward Harris. ... Nick Glennie-Smith is a film composer, whose most prominent work was a collaboration with Hans Zimmer on the score to the 1996 action film, The Rock. ... Hans Florian Zimmer (born September 12, 1957) is an Academy Award, Grammy, and Golden Globe award-winning film score composer from Germany. ... Harry Gregson-Williams (born December 13, 1961) is a Grammy-nominated British film score composer. ... The Hollywood Pictures sphinx logo Hollywood Pictures is one of The Walt Disney Companys several alternate movie labels. ... is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 172nd day of the year (173rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... USD redirects here. ... The year 1996 in film involved some significant events. ... Look up Action film in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Alcatraz (disambiguation). ... San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, and the Golden Gate San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean. ... Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a retired Scottish actor and producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films. ... Nicolas Cage (born January 7, 1964) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. ... For other persons of the same name, see Edward Harris. ... Donald Clarence Simpson (October 29, 1943 - January 19, 1996) was an American film producer. ... Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1945) is a film and television producer in the genre of action, drama, and science fiction. ... Disney redirects here. ... The Hollywood Pictures sphinx logo Hollywood Pictures is one of The Walt Disney Companys several alternate movie labels. ... Donald Clarence Simpson (October 29, 1943 - January 19, 1996) was an American film producer. ...

Plot

A group of renegade Marine Force Recon commandos led by a disenfranchised Brigadier General, Francis X. Hummel seize a stockpile of rockets armed with VX Nerve Agent. Distinguish from Marine Recon Battalions . ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... VX (O-ethyl-S-[2(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothiolate) is an extremely toxic substance whose sole application is as a nerve agent. ...

The Marines take over Alcatraz island during a guided tour, taking 81 tourists hostage in the prison cells. Hummel (reinforced by his elite team of Marines turned Mercenaries) calls the Pentagon and the FBI Director informing them of his intentions: he will launch the lethal VX gas rockets over the population of the San Francisco Bay Area unless reparations of $1 million are paid to each of the families of Marines who died under his command in covert operations. The Pentagon/FBI officials decide to deploy a Navy SEAL team to overtake the island and free Hummel's hostages. Requiring first-hand knowledge of the underground tunnels of Alcatraz, the officials' last resort is an imprisoned, former SAS and disavowed British Intelligence officer John Patrick Mason (the only inmate of Alcatraz who has, reputedly, ever successfully escaped). Teamed with a bumbling FBI chemical weapons expert, Dr. Stanley Goodspeed, the two men and the specialized team of SEALS commence their raid on Alcatraz and Hummel's elite force of his own. Alcatraz Island is located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Navy SEALs redirects here. ... See also Australian Special Air Service Regiment and New Zealand Special Air Service: The Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) is the principal special forces unit of the British Army. ...

With the FBI director James Womack and his West Coast counterpart Ernest Paxton directing the SEAL incursion, details of Mason's complex past are revealed. During the incursion, the SEALS are led into a deadly trap, leaving Goodspeed and Mason the only protagonists left to thwart Hummel's plans. Meanwhile, the Pentagon draws closer to a counter-weapon to Hummel's VX gas rockets, so-called thermite plasma, adding another possible hitch to Goodspeed and Mason's efforts to disarm the weapons and ensure the safety of the hostage tourists.

As the thermite-plasma armed F-18's draw closer to Alcatraz to eliminate the VX rocket threat, Mason and Goodspeed have already successfully neutralized the weapons. Hummel, meanwhile, has baulked at launching the deadly nerve gas rockets at a civilian population (his threat to release the gas was in truth a bluff), but is betrayed and killed by his mercenary junior officers. In a booming climax, Goodspeed, Mason and the 81 hostages within the cell hulls miraculously survive. When FBI arrive on Alcatraz to recover Mason, Goodspeed has already sent him on his way (equipped with SCUBA gear, and a hotel room in San Francisco with clothes and money) to freedom and anonymity. Before Mason's departure, he passes on the location of a top-secret microfilm to his new friend. Escaping an angry reverend with his pregnant wife Carla, Goodspeed discovers the shocking truth behind the JFK assassination. The F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather fighter and attack aircraft. ...

Cast

• Sean Connery as SAS Capt. John Patrick Mason (ret)
• Nicolas Cage as Dr. Stanley Goodspeed
• Ed Harris as USMC Brig. Gen. Francis X. Hummel
• John Spencer as FBI Director James Womack
• David Morse as USMC Maj. Tom Baxter
• William Forsythe as FBI Special Agent Ernest Paxton
• Michael Biehn as US Navy SEAL Cmdr. Anderson
• Vanessa Marcil as Carla Pestalozzi
• John C. McGinley as USMC Capt. Hendrix
• Tony Todd as USMC Capt. Darrow
• Gregory Sporleder as USMC Capt. Frye
• Bokeem Woodbine as USMC Sgt. Crisp
• Claire Forlani as Jade Angelou

The pilot who launched a missile toward Alcatraz in the final scenes is played by then-unknown James Caviezel. Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a retired Scottish actor and producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films. ... Nicolas Cage (born January 7, 1964) is an Academy Award-winning American actor. ... For other persons of the same name, see Edward Harris. ... For other persons named John Spencer, see John Spencer (disambiguation). ... For other persons named David Morse, see David Morse (disambiguation). ... William Forsythe (born June 7, 1955) is an American actor. ... Michael Connell Biehn (born July 31, 1956) is an American actor known for his roles in The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), Tombstone (1993), The Rock (1996), and Grindhouse (2007). ... Vanessa Marcil (born October 15, 1969)[1] is an American actress known for her roles in the TV series General Hospital and Las Vegas. ... John Christopher McGinley (born August 3, 1959) is an American actor, producer and screenwriter, most notable for his roles as Perry Cox in NBCs Scrubs and Sergeant Red ONeil in Oliver Stones Platoon. ... Tony Todd (born December 4, 1954 in Washington, D.C.) is an American actor and producer, known for his cult status amongst horror and sci-fi fans. ... Bokeem Woodbine (born April 13, 1973) is an American film and television actor. ... Claire Forlani (born July 1, 1972)[1] is an English film and television actress. ... James Patrick Caviezel, Jr. ...

Mason and Goodspeed dismantling the chemical weapon in the morgue.

Image File history File links 38fb4338aa371. ... Image File history File links 38fb4338aa371. ...

Box Office

Produced at a budget of 75m US $, the movie grossed a total of $134,067,443.00.^[1]

Production

Quentin Tarantino was an uncredited screenwriter on The Rock, along with Jonathan Hensleigh and Aaron Sorkin^{[citation needed]}. Hensleigh in particular was aggrieved to not be credited. LA-based British screenwriting team Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais were brought in at Connery's request to rewrite his lines, but ended up altering much of the film's dialogue, including Goodspeed's reference to LPs sounding better than CDs.^{[citation needed]} The car chase was not in the original script; it was Michael Bay's idea.^{[citation needed]} It was Nicolas Cage's idea that his character wouldn't swear; his euphemisms include 'gee whiz' for Jesus Christ; 'A-hole' for asshole; and 'Zeus's butthole'. Cage had to fight the producers and director to keep the butthole line, but he agreed to deliver the lines "Do you know how this shit works!" and "Eat that, you fuck!" as swearing is a staple of the action genre, and to show how the mission had changed Goodspeed. Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is a Palme dOr-winning American film director, actor, and an Oscar winning screenwriter. ... Jonathan Hensleigh is one of the most prolific screenwriters in the action/adventure genre of films, he is noted for being an old school action screenwriter and director. ... Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter, producer and playwright. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Dick Clement (born September 5, 1937) is an English writer. ... Ian La Frenais, born 7 January 1937 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, is, in partnership with Dick Clement, one of the most influential television writers in Britain. ...

There were tensions during shooting between director Michael Bay and the Walt Disney Company executives who were supervising the production. On the commentary track for the Criterion Collection DVD, Bay recalls a time when he was preparing to leave the set for a meeting with the executives when he was approached by Sean Connery in golfing attire. Connery, who also produced the film, asked Bay where he was going, and when Bay explained he had a meeting with the executives, Connery asked if he could accompany him. Bay complied and when he arrived in the conference room, the executives' jaws dropped when they saw Connery appear behind him. According to Bay, Connery then stood up for Bay and insisted that he was doing a good job and should be left alone. Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. ... Alternate meanings: Disney (disambiguation) The Walt Disney Company (also known as Disney Enterprises, Inc. ... The Criterion Collection is a joint venture between Janus Films and The Voyager Company that was begun in the mid 1980s for the purpose of releasing authoritative consumer versions of classic and important contemporary films on the laserdisc and DVD formats. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a retired Scottish actor and producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films. ... This article is about the sport. ...

According to a document on Alcatraz Island (December, 2005)^{[citation needed]}, during the filming of the scenes with the hostages, the famous sliding doors wouldn't open. Help from the mainland had to be sought and the extras were stuck for several hours. For this reason, visitors are no longer allowed to be temporarily shut in.

The scene in which FBI director Womack is thrown off the balcony was filmed on location at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. The filming led to numerous calls to the hotel by people who saw a man dangling from the balcony.^[2] Fairmont Hotels & Resorts (TSX: FHR) (NYSE: FHR) is a Toronto, Ontario based owner/operator of luxury hotels and resorts in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Bermuda, Barbados, United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. ...

Censorship

In the original UK DVD release, the scene in which Connery throws a knife through a sentry's throat and says "you must never hesitate" to Cage was cut, although this scene was shown on British television. Consequently, a later scene in which Connery says to Cage, "I'm rather glad you didn't hesitate too long" lost its impact on viewers who had not seen the first scene. Other cuts included a shot of Mason shooting Gamble's feet and a close-up of his screaming face as the air conditioner falls, a sound cut to Mason snapping a Marine's neck and a bloody gunshot wound, both near the end of the film. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ...

When the film premiered on German television (RTL), it was shown in two versions: the first version (starting at 8:15 pm) had most of its violence and gore cut, going so far as to suggest that some of the terrorists survived. The second version started at 11 pm, and left all scenes intact. This scheme was repeated for the second viewing.

Awards and recognition

The Rock won a number of minor awards, including 'Best On-Screen Duo' for Connery and Cage at the MTV Movie Awards as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Sound. It's the only Michael Bay film to have been given a "fresh" rating (62%) on Rotten Tomatoes. The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV (Music Television). ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

The film was selected for a limited edition DVD release by the Criterion Collection, a distributor of primarily arthouse films that releases what it considers to be "important classic and contemporary films" and "cinema at its finest". In an essay supporting the selection of The Rock, Roger Ebert, who was strongly critical of most of Bay's later films, calls it "an action picture that rises to the top of the genre because of a literate, witty screenplay and skilled craftsmanship in the direction and special effects."[1] The Criterion Collection is a joint venture between Janus Films and The Voyager Company that was begun in the mid 1980s for the purpose of releasing authoritative consumer versions of classic and important contemporary films on the laserdisc and DVD formats. ... Art film is a film style that began as a European reaction to the classical Hollywood style of film making. ... Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ...

References

Great Hotels is an Emmy-award winning[1] television show on the Travel Channel. ... The Travel Channel is a cable television network that features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

The Rock (film)

• The Rock at the Internet Movie Database
• The Rock at Rotten Tomatoes
• Criterion Collection essay by Roger Ebert