'' The Rock '' is a 1996 American action thriller film directed by Michael Bay , produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer , and written by David Weisberg and Douglas S. Cook . The film stars Sean Connery , Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris , with William Forsythe and Michael Biehn co-starring . It is dedicated to Simpson , who died five months before its release . The film received moderately positive reviews from critics , and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound at the 69th Academy Awards . It was a box office success , grossing over $ 335 million against a production budget of $ 75 million
69th Academy Awards
69th Academy Awards
The Rock (film)