Date: Fri 30-Aug-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: CAROLL

Illustration: C

Location: A12

Quick Words:

Rock-Playing-Conner-Cage

Full Text:

(Now Playing on "The Rock," 8/30/96)

Now Playing-

A `Rock'-Solid Two Hours

By Trey Paul Alexander III

It is a given that most of today's action movies are formulated to be little

more than larger-than-life comic books (with graphic, overblown violence

usurping the POW! and WHAP! of the four-color, printed page). Much of this

mayhem-is-king mind set evolved from the growing importance of booming foreign

markets where flashy visual effects, blinding explosions and death-defying

stunts translate a lot easier than drawing-room dramas. Such is the case for

The Rock , the hit summer flick that will need little decoding for people

overseas.

Currently playing at the Edmond Town Hall Theater, The Rock stars Sean Connery

and Nicolas Cage as a mismatched buddy team that must save the world (well,

not really the world, but in this case, San Francisco) from the clutches of an

evil madman (Ed Harris) possessing destructive chemical weapons.

General Hummel (Harris), distraught by the government's disavowal of his

military group's actions in its name (and lack of reparations to the families

of the soldiers who died on those covert missions), blackmails the federal

government by pointing missiles, armed with poison gas, at San Francisco.

Harris, as always, gives a steady performance, and though cast as the

"madman," his portrayal makes it clear Hummel is not psychotic, but sane. He

believes his cause to be ethical, falling under the guise of "the ends justify

the means," and Harris' demeanor will give viewers pause before racking him up

in the typical villain category.

When Hummel stymies the US government, they call upon Patrick Mason (Connery),

a British spy and former inmate of Alcatraz. Although deemed a loose cannon by

US authorities, his expertise on the prison - he's the only person to have

successfully escaped - is vital to stopping Hummel, who is using the legendary

island as his lair.

Director Michael Bay ( Bad Boys ) loads his picture with more than enough

two-fisted action to keep salivating fans happy. There is the capture of

Alcatraz and some unsuspecting tourists; a high-speed car chase through the

winding, hilly streets of San Francisco; and shootouts galore. Bay aims to

please, and considering the film's simple premise - the good guys must bust

into prison to save the day - he manages to toss in a variety of nail-bitingly

intense sequences.

However, Bay is also a bit too eager to satisfy the unwritten rules of the

R-rated actioner. Four-letter words fly fast, furiously and almost always

unnecessarily, cluttering up the soundtrack as if they were a vital element of

the movie's sound effects. They are particularly unsettling when coming from

the mouth of the classy Connery, who doesn't need filthy language to convey

toughness. Instead of supporting his character's rugged disposition, the

profanity proves disconcerting when uttered by him, which only serves to draw

attention to itself.

Also, while on the aural, Hans Zimmer's score is stereotypically bombastic and

overpowering, beating us into submission from the opening moments. Zimmer's

lack of subtlety also seems to have dulled his sense of musical variation:

this score is hard to differentiate from his past work on Backdraft , Crimson

Tide or Broken Arrow .

But The Rock proves to be an entertaining two hours, thanks mostly to the

odd-couple pair of Connery and Cage, who shines as Stanley Goodspeed, a

mild-mannered FBI biochemist who dreams of dashing adventures while cloistered

at his desk. When the opportunity for action comes, he's a riot to behold,

armed with Cage's inimitable line readings and the character's conscious,

refreshing lack of profanity. Cage tips us off that the whole thing is a lark,

and his cheery presence gives The Rock some needed levity.