The apex of the Bruckheimer action pic

Rating: 8/10 (24 March 2005)

If 'Top Gun' is the film that defined the Bruckheimer formula, 'The Rock' is the movie that uses all the elements to best effect, before things got too out-of-hand (and too loud!) with Armageddon (and don't ask me what happened with Pearl Harbour...). Everything is there - slow-mo shots of people looking heroic, wailing guitars, big explosions, seemingly impossible task.
For an action film, all the main characters are surprisingly well developed, and none of the actors waste the opportunity. Ed Harris is the perfect choice to play the fallen hero baddie, and it was an inspired move to cast Sean Connery as basically an aged James Bond - he seems to enjoy himself too. But the film belongs to Nic Cage, who not only delivers more hilarious lines than i can count, but also comes across as a likable, believable character. The interactions between him and Connery are better than can be found in 99% of 'buddy movies'.
The balance between tension and all-out action is about right, and both are well executed. The chase through San Francisco deserves special mention.
Personally, i marginally prefer 'Top Gun', but that's in a kind of semi-ironic way, since it's so cheesy. The Rock is an action film i'm not ashamed to say i like.