Fast-paced thrill ride is marred by silliness and occasional blurry editing.

Rating: Null/10 (5 December 2002)

7 out of 10
Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer are responsible for some of the most hated movies of the past five years. But before every critic started pouncing on their collaborations, they gave us The Rock, arguably the best film of Bay's career and probably the most efficient example of the Bruckheimer formula, which is basically to put thousands of people in danger, having a ticking clock, and watch stuff blow and get shot up real good.

At that, The Rock is a success, moving at a lightning pace that's guaranteed to entertain you from beginning to end. There's shootouts, car chases, and fisticuffs; all the action's directed with energy and flair. There are, unfortunately, some big letdowns. Bay's obsession with quick cuts renders the San Francisco car chase into a big blur. The script is stupid (take, for instance, the scene where virtually ALL the Navy Seals pile up in that one room, all strung up for one big massacre) and Cage is as annoying as he is amusing. Standout performances from Sean Connery and Ed Harris, as usual. This is an entertaining thrill ride, too bad Bay and the screenwriters had too much coffee.