Entertainment
Michael Bay’s 30-Year-Old Heist Thriller Explodes Onto Free Streaming April 1
Before Michael Bay became a full franchise machine, he made The Rock, which is still one of the purest examples of what his style can do when everything clicks. It is loud, tense, funny in weird little bursts, and absolutely packed with star power. Nearly 30 years later, it still feels like one of the most entertaining action movies of the 1990s. Now it is getting a new free streaming home, with Tubi adding it on April 1.
Released in 1996, the film follows an FBI chemical weapons expert and a mysterious former British prisoner who are forced to team up after a rogue general takes over Alcatraz and threatens San Francisco. It is part heist movie, part military thriller, and part pure action chaos, and it knows exactly how to keep the energy high from start to finish. The cast includes Nicolas Cage as Stanley Goodspeed, Sean Connery as John Mason, Ed Harris as General Hummel, David Morse as Major Baxter, Michael Biehn as Commander Anderson, and William Forsythe as Special Agent Paxton.
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How Good Is ‘The Rock’?
The legendary Roger Ebert opined that The Rock is a classic example of blockbuster filmmaking done right — loud, chaotic, and packed with familiar elements, but executed with enough style and energy to make it incredibly entertaining. Connery brings a cool, experienced edge to Mason, Cage leans fully into his anxious, fast-talking persona, and Harris adds surprising depth to what could have been a one-note villain. His motivations, while extreme, give the story a bit more weight than expected.
“No matter. Director Michael Bay (Bad Boys) orchestrates the elements into an efficient and exciting movie, with some big laughs, sensational special effects sequences, and sustained suspense. And it’s interesting to see how good actors like Connery, Cage and Harris can find a way to occupy the center of this whirlwind with characters who somehow manage to be quirky and convincing. There are several Identikit Hollywood action stars who can occupy the center of chaos like this, but not many can make it look like they think they’re really there. Watching The Rock, you really care about what happens. You feel silly later for having been sucked in, but that’s part of the ride.”
The Rock will stream on Tubi starting April 1.
- Release Date
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June 7, 1996
- Runtime
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137 minutes
- Writers
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David Weisberg, Douglas S. Cook, Jonathan Hensleigh, Mark Rosner
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