One Of Sean Connery's Best Films Ever !

Rating: 9/10 (4 May 2005)

Sean Connery has always been one of my favorite actors,and three decades after letting go of the James Bond label,he proves that he still can do leading roles in action movies.At the age of 66,that is by no means something ordinary.In this film he plays British S.A.S. operative John Patrick Mason who has spent thirty years in prison in the U.S..He is also the only one who escaped from the high security prison Alcatraz,also known as the 'The Rock'. General Francis Hummel,played by Ed Harris is a disillusioned General who decides to take over Alcatraz with a band of loyal Navy Seals and hold its visiting tourists to ransom,in exchange for a hundred million dollars that he believes are due to the families of soldiers killed in action-a fact that has been conveniently overlooked by the government. He threatens to attack San Fransisco with chemical weapons if his demands are not met.The military decides to move in to capture the General,and they call upon Mason to lead them into 'The Rock'. Thus Hummel and Mason clash,and the consequences are fatal.Nicholas Cage is the chemical weapons expert Stanley Goodspeed sent along with Mason into the prison to disarm the rockets set to be launched by Hummel.This of course is an action film,but it is Connery's treatment of his character that makes Mason a lot more than a senile Rambo.He is a ruthless man,but with a golden heart inside him that makes him stand by Goodspeed when the latter's life is in danger,though he could easily seize the opportunity to escape.He is also a doting father who yearns to see his daughter after thirty years.Cage is at his best here,playing the shaky but committed good guy who doesn't hesitate to put his life on the line for his country. Ed Harris does a good job as the erring General,and his failure and death proves the old adage 'violence begets violence'.But it is Connery who towers head and shoulders above everyone else.Whether it is shooting down mercenaries or tearing through the streets of San Fransisco with a Hum-V,this great Scotsman is always in his element.This is his show all the way,and an explosive one at that.A fantastic action flick with a fantastic leading man !