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| Word About BiehnReviews of Michael's Work |
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| Word About BiehnReviews of Michael's Work |
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The Rock delivers plenty of fast-paced action and excitement. It has a great setting, is well-produced, and boasts a high caliber cast. In Ed Harris' General Hummel, it gives us an antagonist who is sympathetic rather than villainous. And it is the vehicle for one of Michael Biehn's finest performances!
The story is straightforward. To rectify government injustices to the memories of slain soldiers and to their families, General Francis Hummel pulls together a team of seasoned military men who ostensibly share his ideals. Together, they steal canisters of lethal gas and capture Alcatraz prison, holding its tourists hostage and threatening to release the poison gas over San Francisco unless their demands are met.
In response, the FBI frees from a 30-year incarceration one John Mason (Sean Connery), the only man ever to have successfully escaped from The Rock. As the story unfolds, Mason is enlisted to use his knowledge of Alcatraz to guide a crack SEAL team into the lower reaches of the prison, thus enabling them to take Hummel and his men by surprise, overpower them, and recover the gas. That SEAL team is led by Commander Anderson (Michael). Tragically, the plan is foiled, and the SEALs massacred, leaving only Mason and scientist Stanley Goodspeed (Nicholas Cage) to face and overcome tremendous odds and thus save the day.
Though entertaining throughout, the film's most memorable scene is that shower room massacre. It is climactic to the plot and almost unbearable in its impact. Both Ed Harris and Michael shine here. However, I believe Michael's performance is the more impressive, which says a great deal, considering how very good Harris is! The viewer has been given background about General Hummel, and before the scene even begins, we have some understanding of his character. Michael doesn't have that advantage. All we know about Commander Anderson is what we've garnered from the behavior we've seen. He is a highly regarded military leader who has shown us determination, intelligence, and a willingness to put himself in harm's way to accomplish his mission. However, Michael has a marvelous ability to take a small role and enlarge it by the strength of his performance, and this one short scene exemplifies that. In it, Michael is terrific at showing us the kind of stuff the commander is made of. In his brief battle of wills with the general, Commander Anderson grips us and evokes our passionate support by his unwavering stand for what is right. We're convinced of his convictions and of his willingness to die for them. In those few moments, Michael vividly reveals Commander Anderson's character-his courage, his integrity, his patriotism, his principles, his honor. We believe him. We believe in him, and we care greatly about him. We fiercely hope he can be saved, all the while knowing that will be impossible. In that small space of time, Michael engages our emotions so very deeply that when Commander Anderson dies, as we know he must, we are devastated. It is a powerfully compelling performance!
Kay
Abyss ***Aliens ***Art Of War ***Asteroid ***Blood Of The Hunter ***Breach of Trust/Crash ***Chain Of Command ***Cherry Falls ***Coach ***Dead Men Can't Dance ***Deadfall ***Deadly Intentions ***Deep Red ***Double Edge/American Dragons ***The Fan ***Fire In The Sky ***Frame By Frame/Conundrum ***Hill Street Blues ***Hog Wild ***In A Shallow Grave ***Jade ***K2 ***The Magnificent Seven ***The Martyrdom Of Saint Sebastian ***Megiddo ***Mojave Moon ***Navy SEALS ***Rampage ***The Ride ***Seventh Sign ***Silver Wolf ***Strapped ***Susan's Plan/Dying To Get Rich ***A Taste For Killing ***Terminator ***Tiberian Sun ***Timebomb ***Tombstone
