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Which Sean Connery action movie is most relevant to our times?
The one where he is:
- Chasing Nazi's in the 1930s?
- Using espionage (& cool gadgets) during the Cold War?
- Defecting as a submarine commander?
No. It's the one that speaks to the costs of US primacy
[THREAD]
![Which Sean Connery action movie is most relevant to our times?The one where he is:- Chasing Nazi's in the 1930s?- Using espionage (& cool gadgets) during the Cold War?- Defecting as a submarine commander?No. It's the one that speaks to the costs of US primacy[THREAD]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ElqJHlLWkAAC3l9.png "Which Sean Connery action movie is most relevant to our times?The one where he is:- Chasing Nazi's in the 1930s?- Using espionage (& cool gadgets) during the Cold War?- Defecting as a submarine commander?No. It's the one that speaks to the costs of US primacy[THREAD]")
The one where he is:
- Chasing Nazi's in the 1930s?
- Using espionage (& cool gadgets) during the Cold War?
- Defecting as a submarine commander?
No. It's the one that speaks to the costs of US primacy
[THREAD]
As the movie "The Rock" establishes from the outset, the Brigadier General Frank Hummel is not the true villain of the movie, despite the fact that he is going to steel chemical weapons and take hostages
This is made explicit in his demands upon taking the hostages: he wants the US government to set up a $100 million fund to support the families of his special ops Marines killed in clandestine missions around the world
This creates a tension in the movie because even the forces sent to stop Hummel sympathize with his overall goal
Side note: this was during the peak "Michael Biehn as iconic marine/space/future solider" era
Sean Connery's character -- John Mason -- also represents the underside of maintaining global influence, except from the British perspective: a British agent left in an American prison for 30 years.
Indeed, as a former MI6 agent, his character is the perfect homage to another one of his iconic characters
Back to Hummel: once the plan goes sour, Hummel backs down. His motivation was to reform the US government, not harm civilians
The rest of the movie proceeds with Sean Connery doing Sean Connery things -- stopping the bad guys
Though the best scene in the movie...heck, maybe the best climatic action movie scene period, goes to "Green Smoke!"
But don't lose sight of the bigger message this @michaelbay movie offers. Released in 1996, it raises uncomfortable questions about how the US has maintained "primacy" in the world, something that would remain an official policy even after the Cold War https://tnsr.org/2018/02/choosing-primacy-u-s-strategy-global-order-dawn-post-cold-war-era-2/
And how this policy sets the stage for the US to be involved in endless wars https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/afghanistan/2020-02-10/price-primacy
So "The Rock" confronts us with the need to reflect on the cost of maintaining US military primacy and endless war.
And that's why it's the most relevant Sean Connery movie for our time.
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And that's why it's the most relevant Sean Connery movie for our time.
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