Its been a long long time since I was here ..... but things are changing! im back and this time I ho...
Its been a long long time since I was here ..... but things are changing! im back and this time I hope for good! Been a while, too long methinks, so sign my guest book lol :o)
Member since:23.05.2001
Reviews:91
Members who trust:29
Ah well it’s been a long time since I got back to what I enjoy the most, so I decided to review a favourite film of mine that was on Channel 5 last night (Tuesday). That film being “The Rock” (no WWF references please!!).
Channel 5 does occasionally surprise me with the films it puts on. Normally it’s shock at the amount of rubbish the pump out. Which is why I was surprised to see this on as it is such an enjoyable film.
“The Rock” stars two of my all time favourite actors, Nicholas Cage and the effervescent Sean Connery (is it me or has he stopped ageing?). So automatically it’s a winner in my book. Probably two of the best actors still on the circuit. So what’s it all about?
~~THE PLOT~~
Nicholas Cage plays Stanley Goodspeed, Bio-Chemist. He spends his day playing around with deadly viruses, nerve gas, and basically anything that can kill you from a hundred feet away. Cool huh? He does this for the Government of the United States and is happy in
his work. He has a lovely wife (Carla) and is expecting their first child.
Enter a rather mad US General (portrayed by Ed Harris) who has decided to take it upon himself to right the wrongs of the US Government. Hacked off with the fact that the US have failed to recognise the hundreds of thousands of US soldiers who have died in the many wars they have fought, he decides to “acquire” a large amount of a rather deadly nerve toxin, place it in a few rockets, and threaten to fire it over US soil unless a rather hefty ransom is delivered. The place he decides to take to launch them from is the now defunct Alcatraz prison, now a tourist attraction, with 81 tourists as hostage.
Finding themselves in a rather large predicament, the US Government enlist Goodspeed (Cage) to neutralise the threat of the nerve gas and defuse the rockets. One problem though – how to get into Alcatraz, which is currently housing several rockets and a small army of specially trained soldiers led by the mad General (Harris). Please put your hands together for the entrance of Mr. Sean Connery.
Connery plays John Mason, an ex-British spy (sounds familiar!), and the only man alive to have been incarcerated in Alcatraz and successfully escape its confines. Mason has been held in a high security prison for more years than you can shake a stick at. His identity is not recognised, and technically he does not exist. This is due to the fact that he was imprisoned for stealing microfilm from the US Government containing such information as to who killed JFK, and the Roswell alien landings (interesting!). As he will not give up this microfilm, or its whereabouts, a long spell in prison is on the menu. Oh well, that’s what you get for doing your job.
Now however the US Government require Mason’s help. His reward? A full pardon and freedom. So he is released, promptly tries to escape, is re-captured, then agrees to help. And that is just all in the first 45 minutes !! Mason is joined up with Goodspeed and off they pop to secluded prison island to disarm all and sundry who would threaten the freedom and safety of the American people - how many times have we heard that one before?
~~THE FILM~~
Although the plot itself may be fairly weak in terms of originality, the film itself is absolutely brilliant. The camaraderie between Connery and Cage is excellent, and both play off each other with relative ease. It’s a bit like the teacher/pupil relationship. Connery plays an all action hero, Cage is basically a wuss. The banter between them is very good, humourous at times, serious at others. Both are class acts in terms of acting capability. You could throw them in an amateur dramatics version of “Last of The Summer Wine” and they could adapt to it. It’s not just the acting that appeals though. It’s a very fully action packed movie filled with car chases, explosions and fight scenes. The script and dialogue are well put together, as is the music score behind it all. The stunts are well thought out and add to the film. It’s not all over in 5 minutes either as a lot of other action movies. You are looking at approximately 2 and a half hours worth of film here and well worth every minute. Anything with either of these two actors is usually a damn good turn and worth watching at least twice. Throw into the mix that it is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson (RIP), the team that made another favourite of mine “Bad Boys” and you know this is a film with a pedigree. I highly recommend this to all and sundry, and a must buy video (or tape if off the TV like I did!)
Regards
Paul
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 1996 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Daragh O'Malley, Oliver Cotton, Jason Durr, Sean Bean, Allie Byrne
Production Year: 1995 - Action/Adventure - Director: Tom Clegg - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Allie Byrne, Oliver Cotton, Emily Mortimer, Michael Cochrane
The Rock is the best film around and you have written a good review to compliment it, well done.
Paddys_back 27.03.2002 22:48
Nice review of a truly excellent film. .. Tom
superpricee 10.01.2002 16:56
Quality review of a quality film. Personal highlight for me was when Sir Sean was discussing the rocket plan very eloquently with Ed Harris, only to end with the statement, "Personally I think you're a f***ing idiot". Class.
Jan 9th, 2002
very helpful by (100%):
