The Rock

Play trailer

3:08

The Rock

R

1996

2h 16m

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

74 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

FBI chemical warfare expert Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) is sent on an urgent mission with a former British spy, John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery), to stop Gen. Francis X. Hummel (Ed Harris) from launching chemical weapons on Alcatraz Island into San Francisco. Gen. Hummel demands $100 million in war reparations to be paid to the families of slain servicemen who died on covert operations. After their SEAL team is wiped out, Stanley and John deal with the soldiers on their own.

Critics Consensus

For visceral thrills, it can't be beat. Just don't expect The Rock to engage your brain.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

06/14/2022

Very entertaining action hokum that benefits hugely from the uses made of the three stars.

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Gene Siskel

Chicago Tribune

05/27/2014

2.5/4

There isn't a shot, scene or sequence in The Rock that doesn't move furiously, typically with colored lights flashing into our faces or onto those of the actors.

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Doug Thomas

Seattle Times

05/27/2014

2/4

You might need to take Dramamine before entering a Michael Bay movie. The one-time music-video director has an annoying habit of finding the tightest shots, editing the heck out of them and scoring the works to loud music.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Nov 20

5/5

A thunderously effective show of farce thanks to its cast's show of force.

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Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

09/18/2024

4/5

“The Rock” is fueled by big action scenes and thrilling set pieces. But it’s true bread-and-butter is found in burgeoning action star Nicolas Cage and the ground-shaking charisma of Sean Connery.

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Zita Short

InSession Film

02/02/2023

D+

The Rock still feels generic and lacking in any of the flourishes that distinguish hacks from legendary auteurs.

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Carson P

@Parkerdean 17h

What makes the rock a perfect film especially when it comes to Michael bay is that it’s actually a smart prestige one it’s not mindless and it has a coherent plot and a strong script bays second film is by far his best because of that it’s well arranged and puts ambition to it I would even put it alongside terminator 2 as one f the smart thoughtful action films that are award worthy full of profound charachter development, nuanced storytelling and a sense of shock and awe wonder it’s that good bay deserves praise for this film as of today and he should be fondly remembered for this this along with Independence Day are two of the best blockbusters of all time it has violence with meaning and you actually get invested in what’s going on it’s definetly a must watch and easily easily one of the best things hollywood has put out in the 90s and is easily bay’s best work in terms of coherence, charachter and plot.

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Chuck D

@RT91633657 6d

It's just bad. Everything wrong with Michael Bay movies is on full display here. There's no real story, just a ridiculous chase scene from start to finish. Cage is terrible. He's bad on a good day, but wow. He's horribly over the top in this one. It's a terrible waste of an interesting idea and a great cast.

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Adam K

@SunsetLonerCinema May 11

I have no qualms giving this 5 stars. One of the best action films of the 90s and Michael Bay's best work as a director. I love the shifts in the script blending large scale action seqeunces with witty humor and technical dialogue. The situation of an elder and a desk agent with no field experience saving the day is surely absurd, but there is more than enough great chemistry between Connery and Cage to give this a welcomed and entertaining boost.

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Ben W

@Username618 Apr 26

OK. Do you know, Alcatraz actually means Pelican in Spanish. Less scary.

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Bruce M

@BruceMc Apr 13

Watchable, but barely. Loud and stupid with a typically awful Nicolas Cage performance. Terrible script, too long, an incoherent mess. "The Rock" made a lot of money, but that doesn't mean it's good.

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Circus E.

@COS.ENT85 Apr 6

9/10 one of my faves

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Michael Bay

Director

Sean Connery

John Patrick Mason

Nicolas Cage

Dr. Stanley Goodspeed

Ed Harris

General Francis X. Hummel

Michael Biehn

Commander Anderson

William Forsythe

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The Rock: Trailer 1

3:08

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Synopsis

FBI chemical warfare expert Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) is sent on an urgent mission with a former British spy, John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery), to stop Gen. Francis X. Hummel (Ed Harris) from launching chemical weapons on Alcatraz Island into San Francisco. Gen. Hummel demands $100 million in war reparations to be paid to the families of slain servicemen who died on covert operations. After their SEAL team is wiped out, Stanley and John deal with the soldiers on their own.

Director: Michael Bay
Producer: Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer
Screenwriter: Douglas S. Cook, David Weisberg, Mark Rosner
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Hollywood Pictures, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 7, 1996, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $134.1M
Runtime: 2h 16m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo