If you like good action movies, here´s one you should see!

Rating: Null/10 (28 February 2002)

First things first: This is a movie from a past era, when the idea of terrorists threatening the U.S. with mass extinction weapons was a thrilling but rather remote possibility, and when those terrorists still had a face, a heart, and yes, a conscience.
But still, if you like good action movies, here is one you should see, and for several reasons:
1. The plot makes sense. It really does. And it´s not as predictable as some people have said. I for example was certain that - PLOT SPOILERS!!! - I´d see Mason sacrifice his life in the end for the good cause. But that was only after I realised he wouldn´t go over to the other side, which seemed to me the obvious thing to do.
2. The average dialogue is longer than it takes to change a gun magazine. Plus it´s generally really witty.
3. The big villain (a fantastic Ed Harris) doesn´t have a foreign accent, and loves his wife sincerely, and come to think of it he´s not really a big villain at all.
4. You get to see a person with a Ph.D. in natural science (a really fantastic Nicolas Cage) handle a gun, and if you´re female like me, you´ll spend 2+ hours happily wondering what makes him sexier, the Ph.D. or the gun or the combination of both.
5. The other chief protagonists (an absolutely fantastic Sean Connery) has a Scottish accent (ok, I´m biased there), but even without it he´d still be the sexiest man over sixty on this planet.
6. The music alone should be a good enough reason to watch The Rock. In fact it is so good it would have deserved to crown an even better movie than this one.
7. The Rock is full of the usual and well-established action cliches, but at the same time freely admits to it and mirrors them ironically. Let me explain. We look at the events through the eyes of Stanley Goodspeed, a man who, in his own words, "leads a very uneventful life", like you and me. The situation he finds himself in is utterly unreal. Throughout the Alcatraz mission, he constantly reminds us that this isn´t exactly the way he spends his average working day. This makes the characters´ emotions and reactions very human, and very believable (even if what actually happens to them is just as unbelievable as in any other action movie) - I mean, have you ever before seen one where the protagonist responds to his upcoming mission by throwing up violently?
There´s also a lot to be learned from this movie.
1. Serving a 30 year prison sentence doesn´t automatically qualify you to run for president.
2. Never turn up your nose at people who drive beige Volvos. They´re heroes.
3. Some people appear to break out of maximum security prisons for the sole purpose of attending Led Zeppelin concerts.
4. Never quote Oscar Wilde at an angry patriot.
5. You must never hesitate. Especially not to watch this movie. I give it 9/10.