20 Action Films From The 1990s You Must Watch

When a group of rogue US Force Recon Marines seize tourists on Alcatraz Island and threaten to launch nerve gas filled rockets upon San Francisco, FBI chemist Dr Stanley Goodspeed, played by Nicolas Cage, is recruited to join the team tasked with retaking the island, freeing the hostages and disarming the rockets. The only problem is that they will be joined by former SAS captain John Mason, played by Sean Connery.

Mason was the only man to have escaped the island, and is reluctant to help the team break into Alcatraz despite being offered a pardon by the FBI. But over the course of the mission, Goodspeed and Mason begin to trust each other and work together to save the hostages and the city. Ed Harris also gives a great performance as the disenchanted general who wants retribution for his fallen troops.

Michael Bay directs the best film of his career, and gives action film fans everything they could have hoped for; intense shootouts, car chases and a few Nicolas Cage freak outs for good measure. It is just a shame that Bay would later go on to tarnish his reputation, courtesy of the Transformer films.