Explosively entertaining

Rating: 8/10 (14 May 2020)

Michael Bay's blockbuster action epic began here. Even though Bad Boys came out a year before and was moderately successful. This was the movie that really made his career and even watching over 20 years later it's easy to see why. The movie is fantastically entertaining. Some military dudes that were wronged by the government take some hostages at Alcatraz and demand a whole lot of money from the government for the families of their fallen comrades. Things escalate when they threaten to release a deadly chemical. So they call up scientist fred rookie Nicholas Cage and pair him up with a disheveled but bad ass Sean Connery as the only man whose successfully escaped the rock. The action is brilliant and in true Michael Bay fashion it can be a bit silly at times but overly entertaining. Funny, action packed and edge of your seat with a surprising amount of character depth. The movie also stars Ed Harris, Tony Todd, Claire Forlani, Michael Biehn and David Morse.
Budget: $75m
Domestic Box Office: $134m
Worldwide Box Office: $335m
4.25/5