The Rock (1996) Smells what the Criterion Collection is Cookin’

The Criterion Collection released The Rock to DVD on March 13, 2001. Michael Bay directed the film starring Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris.

‘The Rock’ Criterion Synopsis

A highly decorated, retired U.S. Marine general (Ed Harris) seizes a stockpile of chemical weapons and takes over Alcatraz, with eighty-one tourists as hostages on the San Francisco Bay isle. His demand: Restitution to families of soldiers who died in covert operations. The response: An elite Navy SEAL team, with support from an FBI chemical-warfare expert (Nicolas Cage) and a former Alcatraz escapee (Sean Connery), is assembled to penetrate the terrorists’ defenses on the island and neutralize the threat before time runs out. The result: A fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller with a first-rate cast, directed by Michael Bay and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer.

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Special Features

SPECIAL EDITION DOUBLE-DISC SET

• New widescreen digital transfer, approved by Michael Bay and enhanced for 16×9 televisions
• Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround soundtracks
• Audio commentary by Michael Bay, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, actors Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris, and technical advisor Harry Humphries
• Video interview with Jerry Bruckheimer
• Analysis of the dive sequence’s special effects, by Hoyt Yeatman of Dream Quest Images
• Movie Magic episode on the film’s special effects
• Dos and don’ts of Hollywood gunplay, with Harry Humphries and Marshall Teague
• Excerpts from Secrets of Alcatraz, a documentary by À la Carte Communications
• Storyboards, production design drawings, and production stills
• Theatrical trailer and TV spots
• Outtakes selected by Michael Bay
• The Rock world premiere on Alcatraz
• English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
• Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

New cover by Gordon Reynolds