An action flick with all the trimmings

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2001)

Action movies are a lot like fast food.
You know: you're not in the mood for something complicated, you just want to satisfy your appetite. You certainly don't want to think too hard during or after the experience. And you want to know what to expect. So you go to Mickey D's, or Steven Seagal--same diff.
But every now and then, you get surprised. The fast food joint has a monthly special and it's better than their usual fare. You get what you came for (fast pacing, clever lines, things gettin' blowed up real good), but you get something extra.
In the case of The Rock, you get a LOT of extras: top-notch performances by A-list leads (Connery, Cage, Harris) and by some of the best supporting actors around (Morse, Biehn, Forsythe, Spencer, Todd, McGinley); a setting, the decrepit bowels of Alcatraz, that's a visual feast and almost a character in the movie itself; character development (!!!); and an action flick that ain't afraid to quote Oscar Wilde.
Granted, it ain't Filet Mignon, or Schindler's List. But it's better than what you expected, yet still exactly what you were in the mood for. The Rock is one of the very best in a genre over-populated with mediocrity. Michael Bay still hasn't equaled it.