Editing The Rock (film)

{{short description|1996 American action thriller film by Michael Bay}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Rock
| image          = The Rock (movie).jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| alt            = 
| director       = [[Michael Bay]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Don Simpson]]
* [[Jerry Bruckheimer]]
}}
| screenplay     = {{Plainlist|
* [[David Weisberg]]
* [[Douglas S. Cook]]
* Mark Rosner
}}
| story          = {{Plainlist|
* David Weisberg
* Douglas S. Cook
}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Sean Connery]]
* [[Nicolas Cage]]
* [[Ed Harris]]
* [[Michael Biehn]]
* [[William Forsythe (actor)|William Forsythe]]
}}<!--per poster billing-->
| music          = {{Plainlist|<!-- Only Nick Glennie-Smith and Hans Zimmer were credited as main composers in the poster -->
* [[Nick Glennie-Smith]]
* [[Hans Zimmer]]
}}
| cinematography = [[John Schwartzman]]
| editing        = [[Richard Francis-Bruce]]
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
* [[Hollywood Pictures]]
* [[Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films]]
}}
| distributor    = [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Pictures Distribution]]
| released       = {{Film date|1996|06|07}}
| runtime        = 136 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 136:26--><ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-rock-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yotc0otq | title=''The Rock'' (15) |work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |date=June 4, 1996 |access-date=January 13, 2016 |archive-date=March 6, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306000719/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/rock-1970-7 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $75&nbsp;million<ref name="mojo" />
| gross          = $335.6&nbsp;million<ref name="mojo" />
}}

'''''The Rock''''' is a 1996 American [[action film|action]] [[thriller film]] directed by [[Michael Bay]], produced by [[Don Simpson]] and [[Jerry Bruckheimer]], and written by [[David Weisberg]], [[Douglas S. Cook]] and Mark Rosner. It stars [[Sean Connery]], [[Nicolas Cage]] and [[Ed Harris]], with supporting roles played by [[Michael Biehn]], [[William Forsythe (actor)|William Forsythe]], [[David Morse]], and [[John Spencer (actor)|John Spencer]]. Connery plays a former [[Special Air Service|SAS]] captain and Cage an [[FBI]] chemist, who must rescue hostages from a rogue group of [[United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance|Force Recon Marines]] on [[Alcatraz Island]].

''The Rock'' was dedicated to the memory of Simpson,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/07/movies/film-review-break-into-alcatraz-why-not.html | title=FILM REVIEW;Break into Alcatraz? Why Not? | last=Maslin | first=Janet | date=June 7, 1996 | work=[[The New York Times]] | access-date=February 24, 2021 | archive-date=September 25, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925002318/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/07/movies/film-review-break-into-alcatraz-why-not.html | url-status=live }}</ref> who died five months before its release. It was released by [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Pictures Distribution]] through the [[Hollywood Pictures]] label on June 7, 1996. It received positive reviews and was nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing|Best Sound]] at the [[69th Academy Awards]]. It earned over $335&nbsp;million at the box office on a production budget of $75&nbsp;million, becoming the [[1996 in film|fourth highest-grossing film of 1996]]. ''The Rock'' was remade in India in 2003 as ''[[Qayamat: City Under Threat]]''.<ref>{{cite book|title=India Today|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kmVDAAAAYAAJ|date=July 2003|publisher=Thomson Living Media India Limited|access-date=April 1, 2024|archive-date=September 3, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240903051637/https://books.google.com/books?id=kmVDAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-08-08|title='Qayamat: City Under Threat' copied from 'The Rock'|url=https://bollywoodcopy.com/qayamat-city-under-threat-copied-from-the-rock/|access-date=2021-12-28|website=Bollywood Copy - Not everything is original in Bollywood|language=en-US|archive-date=28 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228182121/https://bollywoodcopy.com/qayamat-city-under-threat-copied-from-the-rock/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''The Rock'' was the basis for false descriptions of the [[Iraqi chemical weapons program]]. Britain's [[Secret Intelligence Service]] was led to believe [[Saddam Hussein]] was continuing to produce [[weapons of mass destruction]] by a false agent who based his reports on ''The Rock'', according to the [[Chilcot Inquiry]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Kim |first=Sengupta |date=7 July 2016 |title=Chilcot report: MI6 may have got crucial intelligence on Iraq WMDs from a Nicolas Cage film |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chilcot-report-iraq-war-inquiry-wmds-mi6-evidence-tony-blair-richard-dearlove-a7124426.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710230212/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chilcot-report-iraq-war-inquiry-wmds-mi6-evidence-tony-blair-richard-dearlove-a7124426.html |archive-date=10 July 2016 |access-date=January 4, 2023 |newspaper=The Independent |location=London, UK}}</ref>

==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for feature films should be between 400 to 700 words. -->
Disillusioned [[USMC]] Brigadier General Francis "Frank" Hummel and his rogue group of [[Force Recon]] Marines, including his loyal subordinate Major Tom Baxter, steal 15 rockets filled with lethal [[VX gas]] from a [[U.S. Navy]] facility. The next day, they seize control of [[Alcatraz Island]], taking the tourists and guards hostage. Hummel contacts the [[FBI]] and threatens to launch the rockets at the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] unless the government pays him $100 million, of which some will be donated to each family of the men who died during his command but were never compensated.

The [[Department of Defense]] and the FBI plot to retake Alcatraz by infiltrating the old tunnel system beneath the island, with [[Navy SEALs]] led by Commander Anderson. They recruit FBI [[chemical weapons]] specialist Stanley Goodspeed to join them and disarm the rockets safely. With no knowledge of the latest architecture of the tunnels, [[FBI Director]] Womack and others reluctantly call on the aid of the imprisoned John Mason, a former British [[MI6]] and [[Special Air Service|SAS]] operative and the only man to escape Alcatraz after he stole a microfilm created by [[J. Edgar Hoover]] containing classified U.S. information. Mason refused to reveal the microfilm's location after being captured, knowing he would be killed and was imprisoned without trial. Mason agrees after signing a pardon that clears his record, though Womack destroys it shortly after.

Mason escapes and leads the FBI on a car chase, causing a rampage through the city before being caught by Goodspeed when he meets with his estranged daughter, Jade. At the command center, Mason negotiates to join the team heading to Alcatraz. The team infiltrates the prison, but Hummel's men are alerted to their presence and ambush them in the shower room. Hummel tries to convince Anderson to surrender, but the zealous Captain Frye and Captain Darrow deliberately cause a shootout that kills Anderson and his team. Mason and Goodspeed manage to evade them. Believing the mission to be a failure, Mason prepares to leave until Goodspeed reveals the truth about the VX, explaining that Mason's daughter and his pregnant fiancée, Carla, would be killed as well.

Mason works together with Goodspeed to disable twelve rockets and kill several Marines. After Hummel threatens to execute a hostage, Mason surrenders to stall him while Goodspeed disables another rocket before also being captured. They escape from their cells, but Mason, having assessed Hummel as a soldier who doesn't kill innocents, leaves, with Goodspeed continuing on his own. Caught and held at gunpoint, Goodspeed is forced to surrender, but Mason saves him, convinced that Goodspeed's unborn child needs its father.

As the ransom deadline passes, Frye and Darrow pressure Hummel into firing a rocket, but he redirects it to detonate in the sea. Hummel explains the rockets were a bluff and that he never intended to kill anyone. Realizing they will not be paid, Frye and Darrow convince the remaining soldiers to mutiny against Hummel and Baxter. Baxter is killed and Hummel is mortally wounded but tells Goodspeed the location of the last rocket.

An airstrike is initiated to destroy Alcatraz with experimental thermite plasma bombs, which will neutralize the gas but kill everyone on the island. Goodspeed and Mason kill the remaining Marines before signaling to abort the attack. However, one of the bombs was already dropped at the back of the island. The blast throws Goodspeed into the bay, but Mason saves him from drowning.

Goodspeed confirms the mission's success to Womack but claims Mason was killed in the explosion before telling Mason that Womack shredded his pardon. The pair part ways amicably, with Mason recommending Goodspeed to a church in Kansas where he kept the microfilm. Sometime later, Goodspeed and his newly wedded wife, Carla, recover the microfilm from the church.

==Cast==
[[File:8.23.12MichaelBiehnByLuigiNovi6.jpg|thumb|[[Michael Biehn]] signing the cover of the film on DVD in 2012]]
<!--- [[WP:NOTDATABASE]] - cast and order per opening tombstone stand-alone credits, roles per closing credits scroll --->
{{Cast listing|
* [[Sean Connery]] as Captain (retired) John Patrick Mason [[Special Air Service|SAS]]/[[MI6]]
* [[Nicolas Cage]] as Dr. Stanley Goodspeed, [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]]
* [[Ed Harris]] as Brigadier General Francis "Frank" X. Hummel, [[United States Marine Corps|USMC]]
* [[Michael Biehn]] as Commander Charles Anderson, [[United States Navy SEALs|USN]]
* [[William Forsythe (actor)|William Forsythe]] as Ernest Paxton, FBI
* [[David Morse]] as Major Tom Baxter, USMC
* [[John Spencer (actor)|John Spencer]] as [[FBI Director]] James Womack
* [[John C. McGinley]] as Captain Hendrix, USMC
* [[Tony Todd]] as Captain Darrow, USMC
* [[Bokeem Woodbine]] as Sergeant Crisp, USMC
* [[Danny Nucci]] as Lieutenant Shepard, USN
* [[Claire Forlani]] as Jade Angelou, Mason's daughter
* [[Vanessa Marcil]] as Carla Pestalozzi, Goodspeed's fiancée
* [[Gregory Sporleder]] as Captain Frye, USMC
}}

Uncredited members of the cast include [[Stuart Wilson (actor)|Stuart Wilson]] as General Al Kramer, [[Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]];<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2016-06-07 |title='The Rock' Turns 20 But Remains Lovably Juvenile {{!}} Decider |url=https://decider.com/2016/06/07/the-rock-turns-20-but-remains-lovably-juvenile/ |access-date=2024-06-19 |language=en-US |archive-date=June 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619232203/https://decider.com/2016/06/07/the-rock-turns-20-but-remains-lovably-juvenile/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-rock-am20746/cast-crew |title=The Rock (1996) - Michael Bay {{!}} Cast and Crew {{!}} AllMovie |language=en |access-date=2024-06-19 |via=www.allmovie.com |archive-date=September 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240903051637/https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-rock-am20746/cast-crew |url-status=live }}</ref> [[David Marshall Grant]] as [[White House Chief of Staff]] Hayden Sinclair;<ref>{{Cite web |last=nyfa |title=How David Marshall Grant's Persistence Led to His Success |url=https://www.nyfa.edu/film-school-blog/how-david-marshall-grant-persistence-led-to-his-success/ |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=NYFA |language=en-US |archive-date=June 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619232203/https://www.nyfa.edu/film-school-blog/how-david-marshall-grant-persistence-led-to-his-success/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1" /> [[Philip Baker Hall]] as the [[Chief Justice of the Supreme Court]];<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> [[Xander Berkeley]] as FBI technician Lonner;<ref name=":1" /> and [[Stanley Anderson]] as the President of the United States.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Petski |first=Denise |date=2018-06-28 |title=Stanley Anderson Dies: 'Spider-Man' & 'Seinfeld' Actor Was 78 |url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/stanley-anderson-dies-spider-man-seinfeld-actor-78-1202418782/ |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=June 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619232202/https://deadline.com/2018/06/stanley-anderson-dies-spider-man-seinfeld-actor-78-1202418782/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Moreover, [[Luenell Campbell]] features as a tourist in a jail cell.

Other actors in smaller roles include [[Todd Louiso]] as FBI agent Marvin Isherwood, [[David Bowe (actor)|David Bowe]] as Dr. Ling, [[Howard Platt]] as Louis Lindstrom, [[John Laughlin (actor)|John Laughlin]] as General Peterson, [[Harry Humphries]] as Admiral Johansson, [[Willie Garson]] as Francis Reynolds, [[Anthony Clark (actor)|Anthony Clark]] as Paul the hairdresser, [[Tom Towles]] as an Alcatraz park ranger, and [[Anthony Guidera]] and [[Jim Caviezel]] as [[F-18]] pilots.

Members of Hummel's USMC unit are played by [[Raymond Cruz]] (''uncredited'') as Sergeant Rojas,<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hermanns |first=Grant |date=2023-02-08 |title=Raymond Cruz On His Breaking Bad Return In PopCorners Super Bowl Ad |url=https://screenrant.com/popcorners-super-bowl-breaking-bad-raymond-cruz-interview/ |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=ScreenRant |language=en |archive-date=August 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240827064545/https://screenrant.com/popcorners-super-bowl-breaking-bad-raymond-cruz-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Jim Maniaci]] as Private Scarpetti, [[Greg Collins (American football)|Greg Collins]] as Private Gamble, [[Brendan Kelly (actor)|Brendan Kelly]] as Private Cox, and [[Steve Harris (actor)|Steve Harris]] as Private McCoy. [[Dennis Chalker]] (Dando) and [[Marshall R. Teague]] (Reigert) play members of Anderson's SEAL team.

==Production==

=== Writing and pre-production ===
[[Jonathan Hensleigh]] participated in writing the script, which became the subject of a dispute with the [[Writers Guild of America]]. The spec script (by [[David Weisberg]] and [[Douglas S. Cook|Douglas Cook]]) was reworked by several writers, but other than the original team, Mark Rosner was the only one granted official credit by guild arbitration. The rule is that the credited writing team must contribute 50% of the final script (effectively limiting credits to the screenplay's initial authors, plus one re-write team). Despite his work on the script, Hensleigh was not credited in the film. [[Michael Bay]] wrote an open letter of protest, in which he criticized the arbitration procedure as a "sham" and a "travesty". He said Hensleigh had worked closely with him and should have received screen credit.<ref>Welkos, Robert W. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-05-21-ca-6461-story.html "'Cable,' 'Rock' in Disputes on Writing Credits"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831022439/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-05-21-ca-6461-story.html |date=August 31, 2019 }}. ''Los Angeles Times'', May 21, 1996, p. 1.</ref>

British screenwriting team [[Dick Clement]] and [[Ian La Frenais]] were brought in at Connery's request to rewrite his lines, but ended up altering much of the film's dialogue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brew |first=Simon |date=2020-10-02 |title=The Rock: the crucial rewrite that got Sean Connery on board |url=https://www.filmstories.co.uk/features/the-rock-the-crucial-rewrite-that-got-sean-connery-on-board/ |access-date=2023-02-23 |website=Film Stories |language=en-GB |archive-date=February 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223084552/https://www.filmstories.co.uk/features/the-rock-the-crucial-rewrite-that-got-sean-connery-on-board/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Quentin Tarantino]] and [[Aaron Sorkin]] were also uncredited script doctors.<ref name="QT">{{cite book |last=Peary |first=Gerald |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c5SdiFJmswcC |title=Quentin Tarantino Interviews |date=August 1998 |publisher=[[University Press of Mississippi]] |isbn=1-57806-050-8 |series=[[Conversations with Filmmakers Series]] |pages=xix |chapter=Chronology |access-date=February 24, 2013 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c5SdiFJmswcC&q=Tarantino+Crimson&pg=PR19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430092429/https://books.google.com/books?id=c5SdiFJmswcC |archive-date=April 30, 2016 |url-status=live |no-pp=true}}</ref>

=== Casting ===
At one point, [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] was to have played the role of Goodspeed. Schwarzenegger turned the role down because he did not like the script.<ref>{{YouTube|id=rWk258h9Akk|title=Arnold Schwarzenegger Interview / 22.01.13 / (San) Part 2}}</ref>

=== Filming ===
Most of ''The Rock'' was [[shot on location]] in the [[Alcatraz Prison]] on [[Alcatraz Island]]. As it is governed by the [[National Park Service]], it was not possible to close Alcatraz, and much of the filming had to accommodate tour parties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/r/Rock-1996.php |title=The Rock 1996 |website=Movie-Locations |access-date=December 18, 2018 |archive-date=December 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213032104/http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/r/Rock-1996.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The scene in which FBI Director Womack is thrown off the balcony was filmed on location at the [[Fairmont San Francisco|Fairmont Hotel]] in San Francisco. The filming led to numerous calls to the hotel by people who saw a man dangling from the balcony.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Graff |first=Amy |date=2019-10-01 |title=The untold stories of San Francisco's Fairmont Penthouse |url=https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/San-Francisco-Fairmont-Hotel-Penthouse-celebrities-14470178.php |access-date=2023-02-23 |website=SFGATE |language=en-US}}</ref> The closing scene was shot outside the Sacred Heart Mission Church in [[Saticoy, California]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-17-me-47481-story.html|title=Out of the Picture?|last=Ritsch|first=Massie|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 17, 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210708152810/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-17-me-47481-story.html|archive-date=July 8, 2021|access-date=July 8, 2021}}</ref>

''The Rock'' was Bay's first film shot in a widescreen [[anamorphic format|2.39:1]] aspect ratio, via [[Super 35]]. On the commentary track for the [[Criterion Collection]] DVD of ''[[Armageddon (1998 film)|Armageddon]]'', Bay recalls not liking the format, due to the quality of the release prints, and did not touch the format again until ''[[Bad Boys II]]'', at which point the [[digital intermediate]] process was available.<ref>{{cite AV media|people=Bay, Michael (director) |publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]] |medium=DVD |chapter=[[Audio commentary]] |title=Armageddon |volume=40 |date=20 April 1999}}</ref>

There were tensions during shooting between Bay and [[The Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]] executives who were supervising the production. On the commentary track for the [[Criterion Collection]] DVD, Bay recalls a time when he was preparing to leave the set for a meeting with the executives when he was approached by Connery in golfing attire.<ref>{{cite AV media|people=Bay, Michael (director) |publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]] |medium=DVD |chapter=[[Audio commentary]] |title=The Rock |volume=108 |date=13 March 2001}}</ref> Connery, who also produced the film, asked Bay where he was going, and when Bay explained he had a meeting with the executives, Connery asked if he could accompany him. When Bay arrived in the conference room, the executives were surprised when they saw Connery behind him. According to Bay, Connery stood up for Bay and insisted that he was doing a good job and should be left alone.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bay |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Bay |date=2020-11-01 |title=Michael Bay Pens Tribute to Sean Connery and His "James Bond Smile" of Approval |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/michael-bay-pens-tribute-to-sean-connery-and-his-james-bond-smile-of-approval-4086277/ |access-date=2023-02-23 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US |archive-date=February 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223084551/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/michael-bay-pens-tribute-to-sean-connery-and-his-james-bond-smile-of-approval-4086277/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Music==
The soundtrack to ''The Rock'' was released on the same day as the film, June 7, 1996, by [[Hollywood Records]]. [[Hans Zimmer]] and his longtime collaborator [[Nick Glennie-Smith]] were the principal composers, while [[Harry Gregson-Williams]]<ref name="industrycentral.net">{{cite web|url=http://industrycentral.net/content/music/zimmer.shtml|title=An interview with Hans Zimmer|website=industrycentral.net|access-date=May 24, 2016|archive-date=January 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109030303/http://industrycentral.net/content/music/zimmer.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="filmscoremonthly.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=79193&forumID=1&archive=0|title=The Rock Soundtrack|website=filmscoremonthly.com|access-date=May 24, 2016|archive-date=September 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924110322/https://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=79193&forumID=1&archive=0|url-status=live}}</ref> was the score producer, with additional music composed by [[Don L. Harper|Don Harper]], Steven M. Stern and Gregson-Williams.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hans-zimmer.com/index.php?rub=disco&id=81 |title="The Rock" at Hans-Zimmer.com |access-date=April 3, 2014 |archive-date=March 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326195626/http://hans-zimmer.com/index.php?rub=disco&id=81 |url-status=live }}</ref> The film represents the first collaboration between Zimmer and Bay, the composer would write and/or produce the scores for many of Bay’s films moving forward.

==Reception==

===Box office===
For its opening weekend, the film grossed $25 million, beating out ''[[Mission: Impossible (film)|Mission: Impossible]]'' to reach the number one spot.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Rock' rolls at U.S. box office
|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/06/10/The-Rock-rolls-at-US-box-office/3156834379200/ |access-date=26 February 2022 |work=[[United Press International]] |date=10 June 1996 |archive-date=February 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226220501/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1996/06/10/The-Rock-rolls-at-US-box-office/3156834379200/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Upon opening, it surpassed ''[[Dick Tracy (1990 film)|Dick Tracy]]'' to achieve the highest opening weekend for a live-action Disney film.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/santa-cruz-sentinel-the-rock-rolls-int/157084202/ |title='The Rock' rolls into first place at the box office |date=June 11, 1996 |access-date=October 14, 2024  |page=10 |publisher=[[Santa Cruz Sentinel]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> It would be overtaken by ''[[The Cable Guy]]'' during its second weekend, earning $18.5 million with a 26.2% decline.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-press-first-place-finish-doesn/124170494/ |title=First-place finish doesn't tell story |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506230752/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-press-first-place-finish-doesn/124170494/ |date=June 18, 1996 |access-date=May 6, 2023 |archive-date=May 6, 2023 |page=9 |publisher=[[The Star Press]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> The film would hold well in its third weekend, collecting $14.3 million and ranking third behind ''[[Eraser (film)|Eraser]]'' and Disney's own ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-winona-daily-news-hunchback-could/135213450/ |title='Hunchback' could have staying power |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115003954/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-winona-daily-news-hunchback-could/135213450/ |date=June 25, 1996 |access-date=November 15, 2023 |archive-date=November 15, 2023 |page=12 |publisher=[[Winona Daily News|The Winona Daily News]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> Produced on a $75&nbsp;million budget, ''The Rock'' grossed a total of $134&nbsp;million in the U.S. and Canada and $201&nbsp;million elsewhere, for a worldwide total of $335&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite news | title=The Rock Rolls to $23-Million Opening | last=Brennan | first=Judy | date=June 10, 1996 | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-10-ca-13463-story.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121104193959/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-06-10/entertainment/ca-13463_1_final-weekend-box-office | archive-date= 2012-11-04 |url-status= live | access-date=February 24, 2013}}</ref> It was the seventh-highest-grossing film for the U.S. box office in 1996, and the fourth highest-grossing U.S. film worldwide that year.<ref name="mojo">{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0117500/|title=The Rock (1996)|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=February 18, 2020|archive-date=June 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610131440/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=rock.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Critical response===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 67% based on 72 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "For visceral thrills, it can't be beat. Just don't expect ''The Rock'' to engage your brain."<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1072011-rock/ |title= The Rock |website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]] |date= November 24, 2013 |access-date= June 15, 2022 |archive-date= July 26, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200726153313/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1072011-rock |url-status= live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Rock Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rock |website=Metacritic |access-date=December 12, 2019 |archive-date=March 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200308005303/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-rock |url-status=live }}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= ROCK, THE |work= [[CinemaScore]] |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= 2018-12-20 }}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] awarded the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising it as "a first-rate, slam-bang action thriller with a lot of style and no little humor".<ref>{{cite web |date=June 7, 1996 |title=The Rock Movie Review & Film Summary (1996) |author-link=Roger Ebert |first=Roger |last=Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-rock-1996 |website=www.rogerebert.com |access-date=January 31, 2018 |archive-date=January 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131201211/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-rock-1996 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Todd McCarthy]] of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' gave the film a positive review, commenting "The yarn has its share of gaping holes and jaw-dropping improbabilities, but director Michael Bay sweeps them all aside with his never-take-a-breath pacing."<ref>{{cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Todd |title=Review: 'The Rock' |url=https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/the-rock-2-1200446070/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=June 3, 1996 |access-date=November 24, 2013 |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203073517/http://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/the-rock-2-1200446070/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Richard Corliss]], writing for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', wrote: "Slick, brutal and almost human, this is the team-spirit action movie ''[[Mission: Impossible (film)|Mission: Impossible]]'' should have been."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Corliss |first=Richard |title=Cinema: Good Rockin': Finally, summer has a smart, almost human action movie |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,984679,00.html |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=November 24, 2013 |date=June 10, 1996 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203000619/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,984679,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Accolades===
''The Rock'' won several minor awards, including 'Best On-Screen Duo' for Connery and Cage at the [[MTV Movie Awards]]. It was also nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Sound]] ([[Kevin O'Connell (sound mixer)|Kevin O'Connell]], [[Greg P. Russell]] and [[Keith A. Wester]]).<ref name="Oscars1997">{{Cite web | url=http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/69th-winners.html | title=The 69th Academy Awards (1997) Nominees and Winners | date=March 24, 1997 | access-date=February 24, 2013 | publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] | archive-date=October 6, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006125019/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/69th-winners.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

The film was selected for a limited edition DVD release by the [[Criterion Collection]], a distributor of primarily [[arthouse]] films it categorizes as "important classic and contemporary films" and "cinema at its finest". In an essay supporting the selection of ''The Rock'', [[Roger Ebert]], who was strongly critical of most of Bay's later films, gave the film 3 1/2 out of four stars, calling it "an action picture that rises to the top of the genre because of a literate, witty screenplay and skilled craftsmanship in the direction and special effects."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.criterion.com/films/649 | title=The Rock | author=Roger Ebert | author-link=Roger Ebert | date=March 12, 2001 | publisher=The Criterion Collection | access-date=February 18, 2020 | archive-date=August 9, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809043151/https://www.criterion.com/films/649 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2014, ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' polled several film critics, directors, actors and stunt actors to list their top action films.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/best-action-movies|work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]|title=The 100 best action movies|access-date=November 7, 2014|archive-date=November 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106073021/http://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/best-action-movies|url-status=live}}</ref> ''The Rock'' was listed at 74th place on the list.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/the-100-best-action-movies-80-71|work=Time Out|access-date=November 7, 2014|title=The 100 best action movies: 80-71|archive-date=November 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107152229/http://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/the-100-best-action-movies-80-71|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019, Tom Reimann from Collider ranked ''The Rock'' as Bay's best film and "a perfect snapshot of the height of 90s action movies".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Reimann|first=Tom|date=2019-12-13|title=Every Michael Bay Movie Ranked from Worst to Best|url=https://collider.com/michael-bay-movies-ranked-worst-to-best/|access-date=2020-09-21|website=Collider|language=en-US|archive-date=December 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214132938/https://collider.com/michael-bay-movies-ranked-worst-to-best/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Iraqi chemical weapons program==
In September 2002, MI6 chief Sir [[Richard Dearlove]] said the agency had acquired information from a new source revealing that Iraq was stepping up production of chemical and biological warfare agents. The source, who was said to have "direct access", claimed senior staff were working seven days a week while the regime was concentrating a great deal of effort on the production of [[anthrax]]. Dearlove told the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), Sir [[John Scarlett]], that they were "on the edge of (a) significant intel breakthrough" which could be the "key to unlock" Iraq's weapons programme.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Al-Othman |first=Hannah |date=2016-07-07 |title=False agent who based reports on action film told MI6 Saddam had WMD |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/mi6-was-led-to-believe-that-saddam-had-wmd-by-false-agent-who-based-reports-on-hollywood-action-movie-a3289946.html |access-date=2025-03-22 |website=The Standard |language=en}}</ref>

However, it was noticed that the agent's description of glass containers, not typically used for chemical munitions, resembled the nerve gas inaccurately depicted in glass beads or spheres in ''The Rock''. By February 2003 – a month before the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]] – MI6 concluded that their source had been lying "over a period of time" but failed to inform [[10 Downing Street|No 10]] or others, even though Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] had been briefed on this intelligence.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/06/movie-plot-the-rock-inspired-mi6-sources-iraqi-weapons-claim-chilcot-report|title=The Rock movie plot 'may have inspired MI6 source's Iraqi weapons claim'|first=Peter|last=Walker|date=July 6, 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=June 30, 2017|archive-date=July 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707152917/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/06/movie-plot-the-rock-inspired-mi6-sources-iraqi-weapons-claim-chilcot-report|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/06/mi6-iraq-nerve-gas-report-stolen-from-action-film-the-rock/|title=MI6 Iraq nerve gas report 'stolen from action film The Rock'|work=The Telegraph|date=July 6, 2016|access-date=June 30, 2017|archive-date=April 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406214925/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/06/mi6-iraq-nerve-gas-report-stolen-from-action-film-the-rock/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="independent">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/supposed-iraqi-wmd-described-in-intelligence-dossier-resembled-inaccurate-portrayal-in-1996-holywood-a7123341.html|title=Supposed Iraqi WMD described in dossier resembled inaccurate portrayal in Holywood film The Rock, Chilcot notes|date=July 6, 2016|work=The Independent|access-date=June 30, 2017|archive-date=May 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517071918/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/supposed-iraqi-wmd-described-in-intelligence-dossier-resembled-inaccurate-portrayal-in-1996-holywood-a7123341.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to ''[[The Independent]]'', the false claims of weapons of mass destruction were the justification for UK's entering the war.<ref name="independent"/>

Screenwriter David Weisberg said, "What was so amazing was anybody in the poison gas community would immediately know that this was total bullshit – such obvious bullshit". Weisberg said he was unsurprised a desperate agent might resort to films for inspiration, but dismayed that authorities "didn't do apparently the most basic fact-checking or vetting of the information. If you'd just asked a chemical weapons expert, it would have been immediately obvious it was ludicrous." Weisberg said he had had some "funny emails" after the report, but he felt "it's not a nice legacy for the film." "It's tragic that we went to war," he concluded.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/08/it-was-such-obvious-bullshit-the-rock-writer-shocked-film-may-have-inspired-false-wmd-intelligence?CMP=twt_gu|title='It was such obvious bullshit': The Rock writer shocked film may have inspired false WMD intelligence|first=Catherine|last=Shoard|date=July 8, 2016|work=The Guardian|access-date=June 30, 2017|archive-date=August 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826025404/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/08/it-was-such-obvious-bullshit-the-rock-writer-shocked-film-may-have-inspired-false-wmd-intelligence?CMP=twt_gu|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Unproduced sequel==
In June 2017, director Michael Bay discussed his idea for a follow-up to ''The Rock'' that never developed past the concept that Goodspeed and Mason are chased by the government after escaping, due to possession of the microfilm as shown in the ending.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/the-rock-sequel/|title=The Rock Sequel Idea|date=June 20, 2017|website=[[/Film]]|access-date=February 18, 2020|archive-date=August 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809034514/https://www.slashfilm.com/the-rock-sequel/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of films featuring the United States Navy SEALs]]

==References==
{{Notelist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Metacritic film}}
* {{Mojo title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
* [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/113-the-rock ''The Rock''] an essay by [[Roger Ebert]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]

{{Michael Bay}}
{{Jerry Bruckheimer}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rock, The}}
[[Category:1996 films]]
[[Category:1996 action thriller films]]
[[Category:1990s buddy films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s prison films]]
[[Category:Alcatraz Island in fiction]]
[[Category:American action thriller films]]
[[Category:American buddy action films]]
[[Category:American prison films]]
[[Category:Films about bomb disposal]]
[[Category:Films about chemical war and weapons]]
[[Category:Films about the Federal Bureau of Investigation]]
[[Category:Films about hostage takings]]
[[Category:Films about terrorism in the United States]]
[[Category:Films about the United States Marine Corps]]
[[Category:Films about United States Navy SEALs]]
[[Category:Films directed by Michael Bay]]
[[Category:Films produced by Don Simpson]]
[[Category:Films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer]]
[[Category:Films scored by Nick Glennie-Smith]]
[[Category:Films scored by Hans Zimmer]]
[[Category:Films set in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Films set in Virginia]]
[[Category:Films set in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Films set on islands]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films shot in San Francisco]]
[[Category:Films shot in Ventura County, California]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Douglas S. Cook]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by David Weisberg]]
[[Category:Hollywood Pictures films]]
[[Category:Jerry Bruckheimer Films films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:English-language action thriller films]]
[[Category:English-language crime films]]
[[Category:English-language buddy films]]