Bruckheimer and Bay certainly know how to blow stuff up.

Shawn

JB

Shawn: Characterized by a colorful, glossy visual style and explosive action sequences, this isn't your usual action movie, and the quirky humor and sharp filming style make it a great time. A group of marines gone bad headed by Ed Harris take over Alcatraz Island and hold a group of hostages. They're pissed off at the government for past wrongs and demand a 100 million big ones or else they'll unleash VX poison gas on the city of San Francisco. Naturally the government isn't going to give into the demands, so they send Cage and ex-Alcatraz-prisoner Connery (who has a vast knowledge of the prison interior) with a group of military tough guys to break up the party. It all adds up to action filmmaking with real gusto. The movie is built on such an engaging energetic pace that it's hard to notice the qualities of the movie that are lacking. If you're looking to watch a great above average no-brainer action flick, this is it.

JB: Michael Bay continues to assert himself as the director for the summer blockbuster. You may find yourself consistently at (or over) the edge of your seat (except for my couch, since the cushions, and therefore you, fly off when you sit too far forward). Seemless shifts from John Woo-ish ballet violence to straight up chaotic action impresses. Excellent sound, effects, but, not surprisingly, the characters aren't well developed! Non-Sean-Connery (that rhymed) dialogue is quite poor, and things happen waaay too conveniently ("oh, wait...green flares... guess we'd better stop"). Cage and Connery have a decent on-screen chemistry, but some of their banter feels forced and unsatisfying. But you didn't rent it for that. You rented it to see Leo from the West Wing get hung from a hotel patio. Be prepared for a large dose of pathos as many of the characters, trying to do what they feel is honorable, get killed.

BEST USE OF BAD GUYS AS OTHER BAD GUYS: Well, I guess that was self-explanatory.

BEST TIME TO TAKE A LEAK: The first 30 some odd minutes where they develop a plot you don't care about.

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