In The Rock, Nicolas Cage plays chemical-weapons expert Dr. Stanley Goodspeed.
Goodspeed is an FBI special agent recruited for an emergency mission on Alcatraz Island. Rogue Force Recon Marines have seized the former prison and threaten San Francisco with rockets containing VX nerve agent. Because he understands chemical weapons but has no combat experience, Goodspeed is paired with former SAS operative John Mason, played by Sean Connery.
The surname is sometimes confused with Mason, but Mason is Connery’s character, not Cage’s. Goodspeed’s first name is Stanley, which also makes “Stanley” an attractive but incomplete answer to a question asking for the surname. The character’s scientific expertise drives the plot: he must identify and safely disable the rockets while navigating a military crisis.
Released on June 7, 1996, The Rock was directed by Michael Bay and became one of that year’s major action hits. The film earned more than $335 million worldwide and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound.