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Hummel’s decision to fire a missile when the deadline passes surprises us because that’s not who he is. Mason even tells Dr. Goodspeed that Hummel won’t do it. “He’s a soldier, not a murderer.” Hummel is sort of coerced into it by his overly-eager men, but he still gives the order. Our disappointment becomes delight when Hummel slyly diverts the missile into the ocean. He’s a flawed man, but he’s no killer.
2. The Rock
In the American psyche, few locations inspire the dreadful awe of Alcatraz. It’s a haunted house and a somber Siberian prison in one, surrounded by icy-cold, shark-infested waters. The Rock does a wonderful job evoking the island’s mystique, both obliquely as the Navy Seals skulk through the island’s underbelly, and more directly when the Park Ranger narrates some of the prison’s history, making the location itself an important character in the movie.
3. The Great Escape
Mason’s introduction is one of the best parts of the film. In somewhat hushed tones, the FBI discusses bringing in Mason to help. It’s clearly a matter of last resort. The setup makes it seem like Mason is a dangerous killer, and though he is that, the truth is a bit more nuanced. We are therefore naturally wary of him, even if simultaneously charmed by Connery’s brogue.
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Later, while singing rather poorly in the shower, Mason conspires his next in a long line of escapes. He orders enough room service to bury the FBI agents in bagels and slips the shower’s clothesline up his sleeve. Connery ends up using the clothesline like a noose, dangling the duplicitous FBI deputy director off the balcony by his wrist. Dr. Goodspeed is forced to rescue the director, letting Mason slip away.
4. John Mason’s Special Assignment
After a prolonged car chase that destroys at least 100 cars and one trolley, Mason escapes from the Feds. Dr. Goodspeed discovers Mason has a daughter in San Francisco and watches from a discrete distance as Mason tries to reconnect with a woman he hasn’t seen since she was 10. The reunion is interrupted by sirens. Mason painfully admits they are coming for him.
Before the Feds can lead Mason away in cuffs, Goodspeed intercedes, telling Mason’s daughter that he is working with them. It’s a beautiful gesture toward a man who just destroyed half the city and–to Goodspeed’s knowledge–is a dangerous killer. Any other FBI agent would’ve thrown Mason to the ground and slapped cuffs on him, but Goodspeed is a compassionate man. It cost him nothing to grant Mason that little kindness. The seeds of the eventual friendship between the two men were first planted here.
