Villains Beginning With 'B'

Brigadier General
Francis X. Hummel

The Rock film (1996)

Brigadier General Francis X. Hummel is a widower, disgusted by the way the government abandoned many of his men, assembles a rogue team of 12 elite U.S. Marines and calls them "Force Recon", most of whom have previously served under him. Hummel attacks a naval weapons depot, taking fifteen VX missiles. Hummel then occupies Alcatraz Island, taking 81 tourists hostage. Hummel threatens to kill San Francisco's entire population with the VX missiles unless the government agrees to pay $100 million out of a supposed slush fund both to the families of American commandos lost in classified operations throughout the world, and to him and his men.

Captain John Patrick Mason is an SAS operative imprisoned 30 years ago for stealing microfilm that contained U.S. Government secrets. Upon his capture, he was disowned by the British government. Mason also was the only person to ever escape from Alcatraz. Afterwards he was locked in another maximum security prison, and evidence of his existence was erased since Mason refused to reveal where the microfilm was hidden. Mason is the only one who can guide the commandos into the island via the catacombs underneath it.

Dr. Stanley Goodspeed, an FBI chemical weapons specialist with limited field experience, is placed on the mission as his expertise is needed to disarm the VX missiles.

Mason is summoned by the FBI and agrees to help, only if he will get a pardon. After tricking Womack into a handshake. He attempts to throw Womack over the balcony and escapes in a Hummer, leading the FBI and San Francisco police on a wild car chase through the city. He contacts his daughter, Jade Angelou, Goodspeed tracks them down and calls in the police; when Jade accuses Mason of escaping from prison again, Goodspeed calms the situation by saying that her father is now assisting the FBI.

Mason, Goodspeed and a team of U.S. Navy SEALs led by Commander Anderson dive underwater and through the catacombs underneath the island. They fall into a trap set by marine Captain Hendrix and are surrounded. General Hummel orders the men to surrender but Anderson refuses. The SEALs get nervous and break out into a firefight after they are provoked.

With all of the SEALs killed by Hummel's forces, Goodspeed and Mason are the only ones left to stop Hummel. FBI Special Agent Ernest Paxton, who personally advised Goodspeed in good faith finds out that Womack's underlying motive is to recover the microfilm.

Goodspeed and Mason travel through the catacombs to the morgue. There they fight and kill two Marines stationed there. Goodspeed then defuses twelve VX rockets. Hummel notes that the morgue team has not checked in and sends a trio of Marines. Mason and Goodspeed take the guidance chips with them and escape on a mine car, but it crashes and Goodspeed is stuck in a belt elevator and Mason hanging from the belt. The Marines arrive and begin shooting. They manage to kill the marines and escape again.

Hummel then demands over the speaker system that they return the guidance chips or he will execute a hostage. Mason smashes the guidance chips, and then tells Goodspeed to disable the three remaining rockets while he surrenders to Hummel to buy time. Goodspeed and Mason are imprisoned, however, Mason breaks them out.

The Pentagon is preparing to load planes with Thermite Plasma, incendiary bombs, that will burn up the VX gas and also kill everyone on Alcatraz. However, the incendiaries, are still in the testing phase, so it is taking time. There is less than an hour left, and the Pentagon calls Hummel and asks for one more hour. His remaining men believe it is a trick and urges him to fire one of the two remaining missiles. Hummel bows to their urgings and fires the missile, but at the last minute changes coordinates and sends the missile into the sea. The Marines are furious and wish to know why Hummel changed course. As Mason deduced, Hummel does not wish to kill civilians. As the US government essentially called his bluff, Hummel moves to his backup plan to leave the island with four hostages without firing the last missile. However, he is confronted by his surviving men, Captains Frye and Darrow, who openly reveal themselves as sadistic and being part of the mission for money; Hummel made the mistake of trusting Fry and Darrow although they never previously served under him, and perhaps they were not abandoned by the government unlike his other men. A firefight erupt, and Hummel, his loyal right-hand man Major Baxter and Sergeant Crisp are killed. Mason and Goodspeed intervene at the last moment and drag the dying General out of the fray, Hummel tells them the location of the last VX missile and dies.

Goodspeed goes out to defuse the last rocket located on the lighthouse. He does so and takes out the VX canisters, but he is cornered by Captain Darrow. Goodspeed kills Darrow by firing the empty rocket into his direction. Darrow is thrown in the air and is impaled by a pole sticking out of a pile of debris. As Goodspeed goes onto the roof of the lighthouse, he is fired upon by marine Private McCoy, first with an M249 SAW machine gun and then an M40 rifle. But Mason sneaks up from behind and throws McCoy over the ledge to his death. Mason heads downstairs and is attacked by Private Cox. Mason kills him wrapping chains around his neck and throwing them into a nearby well, strangling him.

Unfortunately, the President finally approves of an air strike, and the F/A-18 Hornets carrying the incendiaries are ready and set out for the island, unaware that all the rockets are now defused. Goodspeed is attacked by the last surviving marine, Captain Frye, but kills him. He then sees the approaching jets and remembers that he was told to set off two flares when the threat was neutralized. He does so and the flares are seen and they abort their mission. Before he can disengage the live fire switch, one of the pilots drops a bomb, however, he swerved his aircraft and hit the back of the island, leaving the hostages safe. Goodspeed is thrown into the sea by the explosion but is rescued by Mason. After making radio contact with the FBI, Goodspeed reminds Mason that Director Womack tore up the pardon, and so the best thing to do is for Mason to slip away and Goodspeed will say that he is killed. Before leaving, Mason gives him the address to a church. Womack is skeptical about Mason's "death", but Goodspeed and Agent Paxton move to close the case.

Goodspeed and his bride, Carla, get married, and flee the church with Mason's microfilm, he examines the microfilm and says "Honey, want to know who killed JFK?"

SUMMARY

EXTERNAL LINKS

In addition, read more information on:

RELATED VILLAINS

Staff Sergeant Robert Barnes

Colonel Walter E. Kurtz

Colonel Nathan R. Jessup

William Stranix

Colonel Stuart