Sean Connery And Nicolas Cage's '90s Action Thriller Is Getting A Second Life On HBO Max

In 1996, film legend Sean Connery was in his twilight years as an actor, while Nicolas Cage was still in his ascent as a big name Hollywood leading man. So it was the perfect year for them to co-star together in "The Rock," a movie about a retired spy (Connery) who teams with a hotshot FBI agent (Cage) to take down a rogue Marine general (Ed Harris) before he launches a chemical weapon attack.

There was a real "passing of the torch" element to the story, which was fitting as Connery was effectively passing the torch of action hero to the next generation. A popular theory suggests that "The Rock" is a secret James Bond sequel, with Connery actually reprising his famous role as a version of Bond, imprisoned under an assumed name. That's never been confirmed — or denied, to be fair.

With summer in full swing, people are in the mood for classic summer blockbusters, which could explain why "The Rock" is currently in the top 10 most watched movies on HBO Max. It is certainly one of the biggest Nicolas Cage movies of all time, though it sometimes gets overshadowed by more beloved classics like "Face/Off" as well as his more over the top, meme-inspiring performances. But it's undeniably one of his most solid action thrillers, as well as Connery's last great action flick. If only the Bond legend's career ended on "The Rock" and not the stinkers "Entrapment" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." 

In fact, "The Rock" is such a beloved movie that it sometimes goes forgotten that it was directed by the master of mayhem Michael Bay. It was the filmmaker's second movie after "Bad Boys," and it set the stage for his future output of much bigger, much more epic actioners like "Armageddon" and "Transformers."

To that end, "The Rock" represents the ideal midpoint of slightly smaller, more character-driven Michael Bay movies, and his massive action extravaganzas where the characters are all shallow archetypes just there to look good and/or facilitate the next explosion. It remains his only movie with a Certified Fresh rating — meaning 75% or higher — on Rotten Tomatoes. Beyond "The Rock," he has just one other Fresh movie, 2022's surprisingly good "Ambulance," which scored a 68%.

But Bay probably doesn't have a huge issue with critics not liking most of his movies. He's the kind of filmmaker who tends to make movies with terrible Rotten Tomatoes scores that are actually awesome, at least according to moviegoers who just want to have big, loud, dumb fun at the theater. And most of his movies make a lot of money, which he also likely values more than critical praise. "The Rock" succeeded at all of the above, and it's tearing up HBO Max right now.