Film Still

The Rock

Michael Bay

United States

1996

136 minutes

Color

2.35:1

English

108

Synopsis

A highly decorated, retired U.S. Marine general (Ed Harris) seizes a stockpile of chemical weapons and takes over Alcatraz, with eighty-one tourists as hostages on the San Francisco Bay isle. His demand: Restitution to families of soldiers who died in covert operations. The response: An elite Navy SEAL team, with support from an FBI chemical-warfare expert (Nicolas Cage) and a former Alcatraz escapee (Sean Connery), is assembled to penetrate the terrorists’ defenses on the island and neutralize the threat before time runs out. The result: A fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller with a first-rate cast, directed by Michael Bay and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer.

Cast

John Patrick MasonSean Connery
General Francis X. Hummel Ed Harris
Stanley GoodspeedNicolas Cage
Commander AndersonMichael Biehn
Ernest PaxtonWilliam Forsythe
Major Tom Baxter David Morse
FBI Director Womack John Spencer
Marine Captain HendrixJohn C. McGinley
Captain DarrowTony Todd
Sergeant CrispBokeem Woodbine
Lieutenant Shepard Danny Nucci
Jade Angelou Claire Forlani
Carla PestalozziVanessa Marcil
Captain FryeGregory Sporleder

Credits

DirectorMichael Bay
ProducerDon Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer
ScreenplayDavid Weisberg, Douglas S. Cook and Mark Rosner
StoryDavid Weisberg and Douglas S. Cook
Executive producersWilliam Stuart, Sean Connery and Louis A. Stroller
CinematographyJohn Schwartzman
Production DesignMichael White
EditingRichard Francis-Bruce
Costume designBobbie Read
MusicNick Glennie-Smith and Hans Zimmer
CastingHeidi Levitt and Billy Hopkins

Disc Features

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET

  • New widescreen digital transfer, approved by Michael Bay and enhanced for 16×9 televisions
  • Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround soundtracks
  • Audio commentary by Michael Bay, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, actors Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris, and technical advisor Harry Humphries
  • Video interview with Jerry Bruckheimer
  • Analysis of the dive sequence’s special effects, by Hoyt Yeatman of Dream Quest Images
  • Movie Magic episode on the film’s special effects
  • Dos and don’ts of Hollywood gunplay, with Harry Humphries and Marshall Teague
  • Excerpts from Secrets of Alcatraz, a documentary by À la Carte Communications
  • Storyboards, production design drawings, and production stills
  • Theatrical trailer and TV spots
  • Outtakes selected by Michael Bay
  • The Rock world premiere on Alcatraz
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
  • Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

From the Current

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Jul 23, 2009

The New York Press’s Armond White on Made in U.S.A and 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her—by way of Michael Bay (we knew it would happen someday!):“Both these widescreen spectacles can help...

The Rock

by Roger Ebert Mar 12, 2001

The Rock is a first-rate, slam-bang action thriller with a lot of style and no little humor. It’s made out of pieces of other movies, yes, but each element has been lovingly polished to a gloss. And there are three skillful performances: Sean Connery is Mason, an intelligence expert...

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Available Editions

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DVD

2 Discs

SRP: $39.95

Criterion Store price

$31.96