The Rock (1996)

Ed Harris has the best argument in The Rock, and he’s the villain. His general wants money for the families of soldiers the government forgot. He’s also pointing poison gas rockets at San Francisco, so the argument loses some steam. Michael Bay cuts so fast that even two people talking looks like a car chase, and the car chase through San Francisco wrecks a cable car just because. But the casting is perfect. Nicolas Cage plays a lab nerd dragged onto Alcatraz, and his voice cracks like a kid asked to read aloud in class every time something explodes. Sean Connery plays a prisoner who has been locked up for decades and still has better comebacks than anyone. It made $335.1 million worldwide on a reported $75 million. A 7.2 because Cage’s nerves and Connery’s cool make a perfect pair, and it’s the most fun Bay has ever had. $928 says you hand someone a fragile dish this week and whisper careful like it’s a glowing green ball of poison.

What works: Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery make a great mismatched pair, and Ed Harris gives the villain real weight.

What doesn’t: Michael Bay’s frantic editing chops up even quiet scenes, and the logic falls apart the second you think about it.

Who it’s for: People who like their action loud, their heroes mismatched and their plots best not examined too closely.