Random Movie Review- #20 "The Rock"

This great movie snuck its way into my DVD player this evening while I was doing laundry here and was my first movie to watch in Tennessee- how novel. Anyway, I have to start by stating something that I think is hilarious. I've done two movie reviews now on my blog and the ONLY person to appear in both films is the stellar actress Claire Forlani (who appears in "Mallrats" as Brandi- T.S.'s girlfriend who has to appear on the gameshow- what a contrast). Anyway, for those of you have not seen this flick, the rather complicated plot centers around Ed Harris playing General Francis X. Hummel, a disgruntled Marine Corps Brigadier General who, due to 83 of his soldiers in the Vietnam and Gulf Wars being ignored without military burials after they were killed and no benefits being paid to their famiies. Hummel then recruits 16 Marines to steal 16 VX Gas Rockets and hold 81 hostages at Alcatraz for a ransom of $100 million from the US Government or fire the rockets on the city of San Francisco. The government counteracts this threat by putting together a Navy Seal team along with nerdy FBI labrat and chemical weapons expert Stanley Goodspeed, played by Nicolas Cage, and former SAS British Operative John Mason, played by Sean Connery, who was a prisoner who escaped from Alcatraz in 1963. The film also features the late John Spencer (of West Wing fame) playing FBI Director Womack, as well as the very sexy Vanessa Marcil (of General Hospital) as Goodspeed's pregnant girlfriend. The cast also feature Bokeem Woodbine (of Ray and Dead Presidents), as well as the up and coming David Morse (The Green Mile and The Negotiator were yet to come) who both play some of the Marines gone bad in Hummel's gang. Anyway, I love this movie because while it moves fast, has great action scenes (including the most expensive car chase scene in movie history until #17 Bad Boys 2), comic relief quotes, but also deals with serious issues, namely terrorism, friendship, patriotism, parenthood, marriage, and strangely enough, wrongful imprisonment. I like that the fact that the movie deals with all these issues as well as centers around the Federal Government, and manages to stay pretty much unpolitical and sticks to the story (I guess because Clinton was still in office when the movie was made). However, some of the fatalities especially, are VERY unrealistic. Also, many of the plot twists and people "being right there to save someone" is very unrealistic. I realize it's a movie, but as you'll eventually see, many of the movies near the top of this list other than notable exceptions like #5 Swingers, the aformentioned #8 Mallrats, and #9 Dogma are comedies, and thus expected to be unrealistic. I am a firm believer that a action or drama dealing with contemporary issues with a plot this thick should be very realistic to fully capture its audience and to be completely effective. Anyway, that's just a small beef. This re-watchability of this movie is incredible, as well as the twists for the first time watcher as well as the I think out of character performance for Nicolas Cage, who usually has a "badass" mentality. It's also a movie where you can begin to like all three of the main characters, no matter how dirty you think they might be at the time. I'd suggest watching this movie, just get ready to really pay attention.