The Rock Details

Undeterred by the premature death of his business partner Don Simpson in 1996, producer Jerry Bruckheimer has still dominated the late-1990s action movie scene with a steady stream of blockbusters. The Rock is perhaps the most satisfying of these movies, for it's neither as cartoonish as Con Air, nor as sentimental as Armageddon, but certainly easier to follow than Enemy of the State. And it deserves further kudos for establishing Nicolas Cage as one of Hollywood's unlikeliest action heroes. The setting is Alcatraz, which has been taken over by disenchanted general Ed Harris and his crack team of marines, who are threatening to launch deadly poison-gas rockets to contaminate San Francisco. In desperation, the FBI pairs chemical warfare expert Cage with jailed former SAS man Sean Connery, who, as the only man to have escaped from the notorious island prison, is seen as their best option to break in. Director Michael Bay's boyish enthusiasm for outlandish stunts and carefree destruction is extremely contagious and even the most cynical viewers will find it difficult not to feel rushes of adrenalin during the numerous slick set pieces.

Ludicrously over-the-top thriller, filmed and edited in frenetic bursts of action for those with short attention spans; the narrative lacks logic, with explosions used to distract attention from its shortcomings.