Rating: 
Summary: Well-acted action thriller
Review: Featuring Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris,this is a fast-paced action thriller that is, of course, very well acted and full of energy. The cinematography is topflight, as is the direction, and it will keep you interested until the end, as a good yarn should. I would rate it as an easy five stars except for the message the story-line pushes: that the government has stiffed our combat soldiers and treated them with anonimity, and when they are killed refused to treat their survivors fairly. This is simply not even remotely true, and for me it almost ruined an otherwise good story. It was the supposed motivation for the heavy, very well played by Ed Harris (who played John Glenn in The Right Stuff), to lead a terror attack on his own country--a man whom, in the story had won the Congressional Medal of Honor (In my years in the service I met only one such man). In the story the other military men simpathized with him. So unlikely an event that it almost made me vomit. I know of what I speak. I was retired for service-connected disability, and have been very will treated by my grateful nation. The writer also took the usual jabs at J. Edgar Hoover, one of the Hollywood left's favorite targets, and finally insinuated in the conspiracy theory of JFK's death with the clear implication that the government was involved, as well as an allusion to the Roswell 'flying saucer' secrecy conspiracy wherein the U.S. Air Force was supposed to have captured alien spacemen and kept it secret--another kook favorite. This is a fine film, well acted and produced. Forgive me if I dwell overmuch on the leftist propaganda aspects which are, after all, typical fodder from Hollywood. But I get very tired of story lines that always, always make our government the bad guy, all in the name of entertainment, and contribute to that image among people who know no better. It WAS good entertainment. I'm probably just too politically inclined to give an objective view. Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret.)
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie, even better DVD
Review: First of all, how can you fo wrong with Nick Cage, and Connery anyway? If you're like me, and you're the "plot? I just want explosions!" kinda guy, then you'll love this movie. But, if you're reading this, you've probably already seen the movie, and made up your mind. In terms of DVD transfer, this release is fantastic. TONS of extras (I haven't even gotten around to all of them yet), and the sound/visual quality is up to par with the DVD standard. So, if you like the movie, this DVD is a great buy - good movies, great extras, you get your money's worth.
Rating:
Summary: Action Packed!
Review: If you're looking for a great action flick that will hold your attention from beginning to end then you definately have to see this one! Seaqn Connery and Nicholas Cage definately outdo themselves in this one! The characters are unique and compelling, the chemistry between them is just wonderful. They keep you glued to your seat waiting to see what is going to transpire between them next. This one is definately worth buying.
Rating:
Summary: King of All Action Movies
Review: This is definitely the absolute best action film next to "The Matrix". It is truly a masterpiece! The storyline is compelling and interesting, the plot moves fairly fast, and the acting is good. The soundtrack is awesome too- it is composed by Harry Gregson-Williams [who also composed the scores to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty for the PS2, and the movie Armageddon]. The score, as in many other films, adds tension, helps you connect with the characters, and adds a whole new depth to the action itself; if there was one man to compose this score it would definitely be him. If you are an action movie fan, this is a must have for your collection.
Rating:
Summary: The Movie is Great, the extras aren't
Review: Since several other reviewers have already talked about the movie, I just wanted to mention the extras that you get with this DVD collection. The Rock is a great movie by far, and if you own a surround sound system, this is definitely a great DVD to get. The extras on the DVD, however, are disappointing. Most of them look like they were filmed at the last minute and done by a second rate studio. For example I really wanted to see the "Do's and Don't's of Hollywood Gun Play." It was very difficult to hear it however, since they filmed it at a gun range when people were firing. The "Out Takes" were not at all funny; most of them were Ed Harris screwing up his lines and yelling at Director Michael Bay. If you must have The Rock on DVD and can't find it anywhere else for a lower price, go ahead and get it. But only get it for the movie, the extras aren't worth the price.
Rating: 
Summary: A Man's Film About Domestic Terrorism
Review: The last decade of family entertainment has produced few men's films. "The Rock" is a notable exception, a man's film that addresses the issue of domestic terrorism. A disgruntled Marine General and his men attack a military weapons depot and steal rockets with chemical warheads. The General's team seizes Alcatraz and 81 hostages, then threatens to fire the rockets into the City of San Francisco if a monetary ransom is not paid. The Government assembles a counterterrorism team that includes Navy Seals, an FBI chemical weapons laboratory expert (played by Nicolas Cage), and the only man who knows how to break *into* Alcatraz (played by Sean Connery). "The Rock" provides an interesting view of military Special Operations in an impressive setting. The General's team controls the schedule; plus they have advance planning, ample weapons, good communications, and the element of surprise. The Government's counterterrorism team *reacts*: the Navy Seal team is trained and ready to fight, but Nicolas Cage's chemical weapons expert is a scholar rather than a warrior, and Sean Connery's character (a British agent who learned too much) has been imprisoned for thirty years without a trial. Nicolas Cage's character reluctantly agrees to join the Navy Seal team -- it is his job. Sean Connery's character reluctantly agrees to join the Navy Seal team -- it temporarily gets him out of prison. The General's team attempts to follow their methodical plan. The counterterrorism team attempts to disrupt that plan. Each disruption reduces the General's team's threat at the cost of unmanaged bloodshed. The United States currently is at war, and The Department of Homeland Security is concentrating on countering foreign terrorist activity. In a postwar downsized (stagflating?) United States domestic economy, The Department of Homeland Security probably will be forced to reexamine the threat represented by domestic terrorists using stolen military ordinance.
Rating:
Summary: "Welcome to the Rock"
Review: The Rock is an excellent action movie with a great cast and excellent action sequences. A rogue general and his squad of renegade Marines have taken 81 hostages on Alcatraz and is threatening to fire rockets armed with VX gas into the Bay area if their demands are not met. The general, Frank Hummel, wants $100 million for recognition of what his men have done for the US over the past thirty years. Not willing to give him the money, the FBI sends in a Navy Seal team to try and take down all the rockets before they can be fired. Along with them are a chemical weapons expert and the only man to ever escape from the impregnable island fortress. This is a very enjoyable movie with plenty of action. The whole cast is very good with plenty of good roles for the supporting actors. For a great action movie that never slows down from beginning to end, check out The Rock. Sean Connery stars as SAS agent, John Mason, the only man to ever successfully escape from Alcatraz. His performance is very good with plenty of great one-liners. Nicolas Cage is equally as good as Stanley Goodspeed, the chemical weapons expert who must try to disarm the rockets. Ed Harris turns in an excellent performance as rogue General Hummel, who eventually begins to question what he is doing. The excellent supporting cast is great as well with plenty of notables giving good parts. The Criterion Collection has an impressive list of extras added on. Rather than going through them all, I'll just say that if you like the movie, you'll like the DVD. For an excellent action movie with great cast and even better action, check out The Rock!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, if you like mindless action.
Review: While the performances of the actors are satisfactory, they can not compensate for the formulaic, unoriginal, predictable, and sucker-by-previews style of worthless movies directed by the Michael Bay, and produced Jerry Bruckheimer. Yeah, I said it! Many of you thought so in one form or another when you saw Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys, or Armageddon. Their movies wreak of contrived melodrama (the massacre of the squad inside the prison), weak plot (get in, get out), weak dialogue (with a few mild attempts at humour). How can a movie be exciting if it is utterly predictable, and so insipid and ludicrous that it is unbelievable? If you want a real action movie, watch Die Hard! It has everything, this movie could never achieve.
Rating:
Summary: A good popcorn movie.
Review: Standard-issue action flick, with the requisite explosions and high-octane action inherent in every Michael Bay film. Connery pulls off one of his more unusual roles, as a former Alcatraz inmate and escape artist. Nicholas Cage is amusing as the chemist whose life is suddenly turned upside down, and Ed Harris plays the angry Vietnam Vet with the required emotional scars. The action is non-stop, at times frenetic, and by the end lots of stuff has blown up and the target audience is no doubt satiated. Not sure why Criterion opted for this one, except maybe to boost its revenues so they can finance the more obscure and arty titles they normally release.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the Rock.
Review: This is a great movie. No Academy Awards, no Golden Globes, nothing. This movie has it all. A great score from Gregson-Williams, another great movie Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson. then, you have Sean Connery. COme on, if he is in the movie, it's going to be good. He was awesome. Nicholas CAge was good in this movie, too.
I must say, if you like a good story, some good movie music, and good acting and directing, then, this movie is a must for anybody. Oh, it being an action movie dosn't hurt, either.
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