Jaws-inspired bomb scene; script-credit arbitration; Cage's no-swearing idea; real Navy SEALs; Hummel's origin; added car chase; naked guitar scene; Connery's coverage-first contract; Fairmont balcony calls; Bay's sequel idea; James Bond theory

In the discussion (9)

Approx. transcript time · 00:18:57Read transcript

A research tidbit delivered early: Cage showed Bay and Bruckheimer Richard Dreyfus scenes from Jaws, wanting to channel them in the bomb-dismantling scene.
So many writers worked on the script that it went to Writers Guild arbitration: Aaron Sorkin and Quentin Tarantino involved, David Weisberg and Douglas Cook on the story, Mark Rosner granted credit, Bay backing Jonathan Hensley, and two British screenwriters Connery brought in who were fired; about nine writers.
Cage's idea that his character would never swear produced lines like "gee whiz"; some Navy SEALs were real SEALs; Don Simpson created Hummel from a 60 Minutes piece on the government not acknowledging soldiers who died on covert missions.
Per Bay, the car chase was inserted after early screenings revealed a big flat hole, to appease younger filmgoers.
On Cage playing guitar naked: Bay thought Cage wanted to show off his body, while Cage wanted to show his character's comfort at home; the takeaway is how hairy he is.
Connery's contract had his coverage filmed first, then he left for his cabin on Alcatraz.
The balcony scene was shot on location at the Fairmont, and people called about a person dangling from the balcony.
Bay's unmade sequel idea: Goodspeed has the microfilm, nowhere to turn, and enlists Mason in a role reversal, likened to National Treasure.
An internet theory holds that Mason was James Bond, but his answer of Army rather than Navy blew the wink.

Roger Ebert's review

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 00:22:28Read transcript

Ebert gave the film three and a half stars and called it a first-rate slam-bang action thriller with a lot of style and no little humor.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Mine cart chase; decontamination chamber; situation room call; cistern scene; morgue scene; shower assault

In the discussion (16)

Approx. transcript time · 00:28:34Read transcript

The weapons-theft scene is praised: the "bubble face" guy trapped in the vault, the rockets with green balls inside, and David Morris's "sorry, dude"; a take follows that Bubbleface deserved to die for dropping the rocket.
Connery's first scene, 25 minutes in, with long hair in prison, is called one of the coolest entrances ever; the "lead left in your pencil" line and William Forsy's needlessly cutting insults are singled out.
The balcony escape (haircut on the balcony, lobster for the Secret Service, flipping John Spencer over the rail with a rope) is everything wanted in a rewatchable action scene: nine things wrong with it, but super fun; it shows a 66-year-old being underestimated, after the quarter cutting the interrogation window.
Any San Francisco movie with an out-of-control trolley going down the hills gets a defense of the car chase.
"Welcome to the Rock" follows Connery remembering the fire pattern; Bay himself pointed out the boiler would not still be working at Alcatraz, and remembering the sequence 30-plus years later is questioned.
The shower room shootout sets a record for slow-motion bullet deaths with arms-out convulsions; "I cannot give that order / you will give that order" is as good as it gets, and Michael Bean's commander scene is the first test of Hummel's morals, with Harris visibly upset.
The mine cart chase is the walkthrough's favorite: it feels like an abandoned Disney World or Pirates of the Caribbean ride, with a cart impenetrable to bullets like a protective bathtub.
Connery versus Harris is fun as two preeminent bald actors go head to head, though Connery wears a toupee; a Robert Duvall cameo is wished for.
Asked whether the mutiny shootout (with Tony Todd killed by a rocket) was Tarantino's one uncredited contribution, the reply is that after Reservoir Dogs everybody wanted every character pointing a gun at one another at the same time, perhaps with Tarantino suggesting a mutiny within the mutiny, as in John Wu and Tony Scott movies until about 2001. — Chris Ryan
The mutiny shows who is hardcore: Tony Todd (Candyman) signals he is not fooling around, Boeem Woodbine is softer, and David Morris delivers the ultimate betrayal; Harris should not have chosen new guys for the mission.
The green flares finale gets slow motion from many angles and green smoke; Bay flashes back to the Chekhov's flares rather than trusting viewers, it is unintentionally funny, Cage does another Christ pose, and it is guessed to be Bay's favorite part, with F-16s under the Golden Gate Bridge.
Favorite scene: the decontamination chamber where Stanley Goodspeed is first seen in action ("you want me to stick this into my heart?"), which sets a grittier tone for an R action movie. — Chris Ryan
Also rewatchable: the situation room call where Ed Harris calls in, with John Spencer, the White House Chief of Staff and Philip Baker Hall in the room; no movie has ever suffered from a situation room. — Chris Ryan
The situation room is felt to be a couple of that-guy types short (where was Robert Ridgely?); Harris announcing "Hummel from Alcatraz" and looking straight into the camera after the shower room scene are highlighted.
Favorite is the "Cistern scene" with a "Welcome to the Rock" attempt; second is the morgue scene, with the knife throw ("You must never hesitate"), the air conditioner kill, "that's just about the most awful thing I've ever seen," and the kicking feet. — Mina Kimes
A further most-rewatchable answer names the shower assault (SEALs versus Marines in the shower) and the mine cart chase; the answering voice is unresolved.

Picking Nits

Balcony rope; underground mine carts; Jade's easily found address; Carla in the situation room; Connery's driving; hostages' bathroom breaks; green egg fight; atropine refusal; unpaid ransom; unguarded prisoner; rope throws

In the discussion (12)

Approx. transcript time · 00:34:33Read transcript

Picked early: would the rope break or rip off Connery's arm pulling the 180-pound John Spencer, and how does a 20-foot rope come from a shower curtain; nitpicking a Bay movie is like criticizing a child's drawing.
Moved up from Picking Nits: why is there a Disneyland world of mine carts, burners and storage under a prison on an island, and was it filmed separately; an attempt to research it is mentioned.
Flagged as a nit: characters supposedly wiped from the record, yet Cage's friend finds Jade Angelou and her address in 30 seconds, though the scene establishes trust.
Carla is questioned as a character: she is told the underwater strategy in the situation room with top officials; the part feels shoehorned, possibly from notes to include Vanessa Mercell and Claire Forlani so it was not all dudes.
Connery has not driven for 35 years yet zooms a Hummer around San Francisco and knows the streets.
Did the hostages ever eat or go to the bathroom over about three days? Die Hard accounts for it; this film does not address it.
Recapped nits: the Secret Service at the balcony haircut, the working boilers (which even Bay admitted was ridiculous), and Connery remembering the basement 30-plus years later.
There is no reason for Cage to take the green egg into a fight in his chest pocket; he lands on it and it stays intact, and shoving it in a mouth should fail, though it is still enjoyed.
Major nit: Cage's resistance to atropine; its listed side effects (light sensitivity, blurred vision, dry mouth, constipation and more) are mild compared with VX gas, so taking five shots would make sense.
The government should just pay the $83 million, roughly what Barry Bond signed for in 1996, rather than put San Francisco at risk.
Leaving the one man who can stop the mission alone in a cell, unguarded despite 30 men and stray Marines around Alcatraz, is illogical.
Connery would miss some of his rope-and-hook throws to pull the doors; he would win an Olympic event for it.

What’s Aged the Best?

Alcatraz; San Francisco car chases; Simpson-Bruckheimer logo card; characters who don't exist; former That Guys; Claire Forlani what-if; Connery's Alcatraz cabin; the film's politics

In the discussion (9)

Approx. transcript time · 00:49:50Read transcript

Alcatraz: no movie using it has failed to be cool.
San Francisco car chases are one speaker's pick, over the others' disagreement.
The "losers always whine about their best; winners go home and fuck the prom queen" line is raised: it seemed the coolest thing at 13 but now reads as bizarre and very 90s.
The Simpson-Bruckheimer logo card, and RIP to Don Simpson, whose last film this was; a 1996 EW piece quoted Connery that Simpson did not look right on set, and his legendary appetite for cocaine is noted.
Action-movie characters who "don't exist" because their records were wiped clean are a winner every time.
The cast list of former that-guys who graduated: David Morris, John C. McGinley, Philip Baker Hall, John Spencer, William Forsyth and Michael Bean, whose fan following is joked about as the "Bean Hive" and who always plays military men, as in The Abyss and Terminator.
Claire Forlani's what-if: after Mallrats it seemed she would happen until Meet Joe Black; the belief that it still could happen has aged best.
Too good for half-assed internet research: Connery made the producers build him a cabin on Alcatraz rather than travel to the mainland, compared with Arnold's private-plane demands on T2.
The politics have aged well, unusually for Bay: a nuanced view of government and patriotism in the Hummel-Mason conversation, where Connery cites Oscar Wilde; the bluff ending, where Hummel refuses to kill a million people, keeps the film resting on whether he would do it.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Runtime; grunge-guitarist line; the wrestler's name overshadowing the title; Anthony Clark's hairstylist; the first third; Carla

In the discussion (6)

Approx. transcript time · 00:58:17Read transcript

The movie is too long, about two hours and 15 minutes; a three-minute car chase or a foot chase would have saved time and money.
The "unless you're a 20-year-old grunge guitarist from Seattle" line is a specific 1996 line that has aged worst.
The Rock the wrestler and actor overshadows the film in search results; you must type "the Rock 1996 movie."
Anthony Clark as the super gay hairstylist would not be run back today.
The first third has a lot of fat; Craig, watching for the first time, was dubious a third of the way in, while the other two-thirds go hard.
Carla draws mixed feelings and leads into picking nits.

Casting What-Ifs

Arnold Schwarzenegger as John Patrick Mason; Tony Scott as director

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:01:15Read transcript

Schwarzenegger was offered the part of John Patrick Mason and said in a Reddit AMA he regrets not taking it; relief is expressed that he did not.
Tony Scott was supposed to direct but turned it down and did The Fan; a Scott version would be tighter but lose the over-the-top layer, including the air conditioner falling on the guy's head.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Gregory Sporleder

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:02:18Read transcript

The last guy standing at the end with the pronounced chin, "Gregory, spoiler," whose name the speaker does not know, could sweep the That Guy, Dionne Waiters and Vincent Hanna awards; "I think he wins."
Also mentioned: the nanny from Jerry McGuire, the campus rapist from 90210, and Costner's brother in American Flyers.
Stanley Anderson plays the president in both The Rock and Armageddon, suggesting a Michael Bay universe.
Danny Nucci, the Marine hanging upside down after the shootout, turns up in many 90s action movies, including Crimson Tide.

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Tony Todd

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:03:59Read transcript

Eight people could be mentioned, but the finals are Tony Todd and Greg; Tony Todd is called ridiculous in this movie, borderline aged-worst, and a better actor in the part might make a better movie.
Defense: he shows the kind of guy Hummel has to hire, and the two who drift from military discipline into lying on the bed ("locked and ready to rock") are enjoyable.
The film sets Tony Todd up early as a psycho, carrying Candyman baggage since Candyman came first.

The Teddy KGB Award for the Actor in a Completely Different Movie

Ed Harris

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:05:06Read transcript

There are arguably three movies (the military-government thriller, Connery's and Cage's), but by the Judd Nelson standard Ed Harris is in a completely different movie because he takes it so seriously. — Chris Ryan
Harris plays it like an Oliver Stone sequel to Platoon, without an Alan Rickman or John Lithgow gleam, entirely straight; not certain that was right, but memorable. — Chris Ryan
Pushback that the core three were praised all along draws the reply that Harris is liked, just in a different movie, unlike Gene Hackman's quirks in Crimson Tide.
Counterpoint: an obvious villain would make a different film; the story rests on the bluff, which Connery reads ("he's a soldier, he's not a madman").
The core three are rated more like Westbrook, Beale and Bertons, with a Chris Bosch comparison retracted, while Harris is called amazing.

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

VX gas; William Forsythe

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:07:25Read transcript

Everyone is on a heat check; Anthony Clark tries to win it but it goes badly.
The first inanimate-object nomination in Rewatchables history: VX gas, with very small screen time, looking great, and as bad as imagined when stuffed in a mouth, "a literal heat check"; the nomination is welcomed.
Most usual candidates are poor parts (Claire Forlani, the hairdresser) or, like Connery, in the movie too much.
A vote for William Forsyth as the FBI man: an early asshole who is kind when Cage pukes (a Cage improvisation), then lets it slide that Mason is alive; with Raising Arizona history, quietly very good; he gets it if a person must win.

Recasting Couch

Ving Rhames; Phil Hartman as the Alcatraz guide; Delroy Lindo; John Cusack; Danny Trejo; Josh Hamilton as White House Chief of Staff

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:09:19Read transcript

No better era-specific actor than Tony Todd comes to mind; Carl Weathers is too old, so a mid-90s Carl Weathers, with Ving Rames possibly overqualified but a fit.
Bring back Phil Hartman's Alcatraz guide from So I Married an Axe Murderer as the Alcatraz guide.
Delroy Lindo is suggested and welcomed.
John Cusack, from Con Air, could have done interesting things with the role, though Cage is loved in it.
Danny Treo as a mercenary and Josh Hamilton as the White House Chief of Staff.

Apex Mountain

Nicolas Cage; nerve gas; Alcatraz movies; naked guitar playing; Vanessa Marcil; 1996 action movies; Michael Bay creatively; Hummers

In the discussion (13)

Approx. transcript time · 01:15:03Read transcript

Nicolas Cage is a yes: coming off the Oscar and leading the fourth-biggest movie of 1996 at $330 million, "It's definitely this."
Connery is a no, as is late-career Connery, with Crusade cited instead.
Nerve gas rockets, not nuclear, mark the peak moment for nerve gas; the film is said to have been a source of misinformation for British intelligence ahead of the Iraq invasion, and fear of nerve gas persists.
Ed Harris is a no.
Alcatraz movies: The Rock is judged better than the slow Escape from Alcatraz, which was filmed during tours and was being shot during a 1980 family visit.
Naked guitar playing is absolutely Apex Mountain.
Movie mutinies go to Crimson Tide, with this and Mutiny on the Bounty possibly a Mount Rushmore.
Vanessa Marseille, after 90210 and dating Brian Austin Green, peaks as the lead female in an action movie; she gets it.
Christ poses go to The Last Temptation of Christ, then Platoon; needles in the heart stay with Pulp Fiction.
It is called the best action movie of 1996, better than Independence Day, Twister, Mission Impossible and Eraser, which all made more money; agreement follows.
With Armageddon raised as Bay's earnings peak, asked whether creatively this was the apex, the answer is "a hundred percent": the only Bay movie that rises to excellent, with Bad Boys 2 and the original Transformers merely okay. — Mina Kimes
Another view likes many Bay movies, even recent ones, but calls the Transformers films an anvil on his career.
It was an apex year for Hummers.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

Series with more hostage and mutiny politics; David E. Kelley-style version

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:26:00Read transcript

The premise is unimpeachable, but actors of the core three's caliber would be hard to find; a series could answer how the hostages ate or used the bathroom, with more hostage and mutiny politics. — Mina Kimes
David E. Kelly's The Rock: the wives and girlfriends drinking wine in Montecito, hoping it works out on the Rock; "That could work."

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Mason as James Bond; the Led Zeppelin concert; Goodspeed's apartment; atropine's success rate

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:26:27Read transcript

The James Bond theory is debunked: he would have been 83, and Bond served in the British Navy, though an online fan hive persists.
Why was Mason's first stop after escaping a Led Zeppelin concert where he fathered Jade Angelo, and why that name?
More a nit: how does scientist Goodspeed afford the sickest apartment in D.C., a Friends-level loft?
Is atropine a 100 or 80 percent success, and what about missing the heart? A Chargers doctor punctured a quarterback's lung.

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

Kennedy microfilm; the 1996 Hummer; underwater approach vehicles

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:28:51Read transcript

The microfilm that reveals how Kennedy really died; "That's the right answer."
The game-used 1996 Hummer from the film, possibly product placement.
The underwater vehicles used for the approach, which were probably about 200k each.

Who Won the Movie?

Sean Connery

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:29:41Read transcript

"I think we all know. Connery"; Claire Forlani is offered as a joke before "No, it's Sean Connery."

Podcast choices

Speaker not identified: Sean Connery

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

"That's the most awful thing I've ever seen"; "FBI, freeze, sucker"; "I'm too old for this"

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 01:30:10Read transcript

Real Rockheads love the morgue-scene lines about the feet and "that's the most awful thing I've ever seen"; Cage's subtle readings like "FBI, freeze, sucker" and introducing himself as Stanley Goodspeed are favorites, and the Rocket Man quote is the stupidest but still funny.
Connery saying "I'm too old for this" is a nod to other action movies, going full Danny Glover.
"Inject that in your suit before your heart melts" is also offered.

More from the conversation

The cold open plays the film's trailer; Chris Ryan and Mina Kimes are introduced, and a Sean Connery impersonation has already broken the ice.

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The Wikipedia description frames it as a 1996 action thriller directed by Michael Bay, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and set in Alcatraz.

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The premise is called incredible and the film one of the guest's all-time favorites, with the performances giving it staying power; a Nets-Celtics jab opens the answer.

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The Rock is the logical conclusion of "Die Hard on a blank," finishing a decade of tweaks after 1988.

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Alcatraz was at its nostalgic peak in the 90s, with visits in the 94 range, the Clint Eastwood movie, and So I Married an Axe Murderer.

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Connery gives one of his last great, one-of-one performances, called the most sex appeal he ever had on screen, part of a victory lap after The Untouchables.

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Connery's run from 1989 is traced (Indiana Jones, Family Business, Hunt for Red October, Russia House, Highlander 2, Rising Sun, Just Cause, First Knight) to a last run of The Rock, Playing by Heart, Entrapment and Finding Forrester.

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Late-career Connery is called his apex; a Criterion note says Bay asked Connery to be less charismatic, and Liam Neeson is not considered an equivalent.

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Hypothetical late-career Connery jobs: NFL owner, tech guy, or Nick Faldo's British Open role.

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Growing up with Roger Moore versus Connery as Bond; for a 90s preteen, GoldenEye mattered, but watching the Connery Bonds with an older brother made the former Bond in this role a big deal; Diamonds Are Forever is a favorite.

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A female Sean Connery: Jacqueline Bissett, with Helen Mirren making a play.

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Connery is lit and shot to seem bigger than everyone, stunt doubles are well masked, and at 66 he plays a 60-year-old.

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The core three make it Bay's best: Ed Harris as a sympathetic villain, Cage as a nerdy scientist, and an old man as the sex symbol.

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Cage's career turn: after Kiss of Death and the Leaving Las Vegas Oscar he makes The Rock, Con Air and Face/Off back to back, like Downey going into Iron Man.

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Cage's action-star transformation shows in his first kill in the mine cart scene; he introduced a quirky action-hero prototype in a year that included Mission Impossible, Independence Day and Twister.

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Action movies learned they could cast strong actors such as John Spencer and Philip Baker Hall rather than Ventura or Weathers.

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Cage's dialed-up performance still works because he was not yet a self-parody, with the "Zeus's butthole" delivery; the appeal faded by National Treasure.

Approx. transcript time · 00:17:48Read transcript

Stanley Goodspeed differs from his Con Air character, and the Goodspeed name and its etymology are discussed.

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Bay peaks here versus Bad Boys and Armageddon; The Rock is intentionally funny where Armageddon is not, and it perfected Bay's low-angle slow-motion move.

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A $75 million budget made $334 million, fourth-highest of 1996.

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The film became a Criterion Collection pick, unusual but explained by Bay's image-making.

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A studio-tension story: Connery, dressed for golf, joined Bay's meeting with Disney executives and defused it; three versions exist, and it feels self-aggrandizing.

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The San Francisco car chase, a late addition, is the least favorite part and tough for rewatchability; San Francisco is the best movie location but underused beyond a few shots.

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Car chases as a 12-year-old boy's list of cool things, like exploding parking meters and near-misses with an old lady or stroller, recalling Speed's baby carriage.

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Room service as a crippling action-movie distraction leads to hotel habits: letting staff in, hotel-bar cheeseburgers, and fear of what the silver dome hides.

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A Disney "Rock World" theme park is pitched: mine carts, Marines, sharks and Ed Harris.

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A joke about the Ringer founding days with everyone pointing guns, compared to The Office.

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The Bean Hive running joke about Michael Bean and the Wikipedia photo of him signing DVDs at a convention.

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An Aaron Rogers aside turns to the Mission Impossible franchise's later resurgence; the original is a B.

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A Hummer tangent: society's love of Hummers, LeBron's high-school Hummer backlash, and a possible electric Hummer renaissance.

Approx. transcript time · 01:19:55Read transcript

A closing aside asks how Connery would get out of the Green Bay Packers situation as Aaron Rogers.

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The film is not streaming, costs four dollars to rent, and is surprisingly not on Disney Plus despite being Touchstone.

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Closing thanks name Meena Khym's and Chris Ryan; Goodfellas was last week and another big movie comes in two weeks.

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Mentions across The Rewatchables

Recorded movie reference

Speed

The Rewatchables · aired August 18, 2026

The Rock is listed in the sourced research for this episode. The precise discussion has not been linked yet.

Transcript time unavailableRead transcript

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