In Michael Bay&s THE ROCK gung-ho general Francis Hummel (Ed Harris) armed with deadly chemical rockets & aided by violent cohorts takes over the island of Alcatraz holding 81 tourists hostage Hummel promises to deploy the missiles over San Francisco if Washington doesn&t make amends to ignored combat victims to the tune of 100 million A cadre of Navy SEALs are dispatched to quell the situation assisted by the mysterious macho John Mason (Sean Connery) the only man to ever escape from Alcatraz who must now help the SEALs break back in Joining them is mild-mannered chemical weapons expert Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) who is unaccustomed to such things as guns & military maneuvers Their high-octane mission is filled with surprises particularly after Hummel & company quickly annihilate the SEALs--leaving Mason & Goodspeed to save the day all by themselves