Synopsis

When a rogue group of U.S. Marines seizes Alcatraz Island and threatens San Francisco with chemical rockets, the government turns to an unlikely team. An FBI chemical-weapons specialist joins a former British operative who once escaped the prison. Together, they must infiltrate the island, locate the missiles, and stop the standoff before the ultimatum expires.

Factoids & Trivia

• Most of the prison sequences were filmed inside the actual Alcatraz complex. Because the island remained under National Park Service control, the production could not close it completely and had to work around visiting tour groups.

• Principal photography took place from October 19, 1995, through January 19, 1996. San Francisco locations included the Palace of Fine Arts, the Fairmont Hotel, and streets around Russian Hill.

• The balcony sequence involving FBI Director Womack was filmed at the Fairmont Hotel. Passersby who saw a man apparently hanging from the building reportedly called the hotel to report the incident.

• The screenplay went through several revisions and became involved in a Writers Guild of America credit dispute. Quentin Tarantino and Aaron Sorkin also contributed uncredited script work, while Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais were brought in at Sean Connery's request to revise dialogue.

• Arnold Schwarzenegger was once considered for the role of FBI specialist Stanley Goodspeed, but he turned it down after disliking the script.

• Hans Zimmer and Nick Glennie-Smith were the principal composers, with Harry Gregson-Williams serving as score producer. The film began a long creative association between Michael Bay and Zimmer.

• The production used Super 35 to create a widescreen 2.39:1 image. It was the first time Bay used that format for a feature film.

• The film was dedicated to producer Don Simpson, who died approximately five months before its theatrical release.

• The Rock opened in the United States on June 7, 1996, and became one of the year's major commercial successes, earning more than $335 million worldwide from a reported $75 million budget.

• A planned follow-up would have continued the stories of Stanley Goodspeed and John Mason, with the pair pursued by the government because of the microfilm Mason possessed. The sequel never moved beyond the concept stage.

• The film later acquired an unusual real-world legacy after a false intelligence source reportedly based claims about Iraq's chemical-weapons capabilities on details from The Rock.