Good plot, great characters, brilliant movie.

Rating: 9/10 (3 May 2000)

A highly ranked general in the US army steals 15 nerve gas rockets and threatens to send them into San Fransisco from Alcatraz to teach the government a lesson for lying about soldiers killed in the gulf, desert storm etc.
The only way to stop him is to break IN to Alcatraz. Mason (Sean Connery), is the only person who ever escaped alive, pulled out of Max security to get them in, he is played very well by Connery. Smart, arrogant and full of one-liners you're never quite sure about him.
Once in Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage), has to disarm them. A chemistry superfreak Goodspeed is way out of his depth and has no idea of what to do in a combat situation, played incredibly believably by Cage this is the character we like the most. Watch for how different he is in the office, and in combat.
Ed Harris is masterful as the general torn between duty and honour. One of his best roles to date.
I highly recommend seeing this movie. You won't be disappointed.