| “ | This isn't about terrorism. This is about justice. It's about reminding you people who found it politically convenient to forget. | „ |
| ~ General Hummel. |
Brigadier General Francis Xavier Hummel, also known as General Hummel and "Frank", was one of the two main antagonist in the 1996 movie The Rock.
Hummel is a USMC Force Recon officer and renegade military commander who, displeased with the U.S. military's poor regard for its fallen Marines, seizes 15 V.X. gas rockets to hold the city of San Francisco hostage unless the payment for the Marines' families is given.
He was portrayed by Edward Allen Harris who later played Mitch Wilkinson in National Treasure: Book of Secrets.
History
Military Career and Becoming Vicious
Before the movie began, Hummel served three tours in Vietnam, Panama, Grenada and Desert Storm during his Marine Corps career and his rank was Major at the time before reaching the rank of Brigadier General and he was given command. Then, he made another deployment in Northern Laos and Southern China. As he stated to the Chief of Staff, Hayden Sinclair; he ran black operations in China and his men were responsible for over 200 hostile kills on Hayden's 9th birthday.
However, Hummel began to crumble within upon seeing the way his country treated the men who fought for it: he saw many fine Force Reconnaissance Marines die on illegal field operations around the world, and the U.S. government, in order to keep the missions off public record, covered up their deaths, denied compensation such as posthumous medals for the fallen Marines and military benefits for their families, and even sometimes left their bodies to rot in the foreign countries the missions took place in. Even worse, Hummel was forced to be the one that had to choke on these lies and atrocities during his whole career. Finally, Hummel eventually decided that drastic measures needed to be taken in order to get the U.S. to respect its soldiers again.
After giving a new bouquet of flowers and a sympathetic statement to his late wife Barbara at her grave, Hummel led his Force Recon Marines in a plot of stealing 15 V.X. gas rockets from the Naval Weapons Depot, in which he lost one of his own men in the process. On a tour of Alcatraz Island, Hummel and his men captured 81 tourists and the tour guide, except the children whom he politely asked them to go home with their teacher. After that, he threatened that he would launch the V.X. gas rockets toward San Francisco unless the government paid $100 million from a military slush fund, which he would distribute to his men and the families of the 83 Marines who lost their lives for his cause.
Mason and Goodspeed's Arrival and First Showdown
Upon hearing that a U.S. Navy SEAL team arrived with an FBI chemical specialist Stanley Goodspeed and ex-SAS Captain John Patrick Mason involved, his men killed them all (except for Goodspeed and Mason) despite his orders not to shoot. When the situation got out of control, he threatened that Goodspeed and Mason return the guidance chips or he would kill a hostage. The protagonists were both captured and placed in prison cells, but they later broke out.
Frye's Betrayal and Death
When a V.X. gas rocket fired on the next day, Hummel changed its coordinates and ditched it into the sea instead. His men argued with him over what went wrong. Hummel ordered them to evacuate with the remaining rockets in the helicopters and four hostages as well. With the bluff called, his men (other than Major Tom Baxter who was still Hummel's bodyguard) betrayed him and wanted to proceed with the rocket launch.
Hummel and Baxter managed to kill some betrayers before the general himself was shot while Baxter was killed. Goodspeed pulled him to safety while Mason providing cover fire and Hummel, with his last breath, told Goodspeed of the last V.X. rocket's location.
His death would later be avenged when both Goodspeed and Mason killed all of his treasonous U.S. Force Recon Marines.
Gallery
Quotes
| “ | You alert the media, I launch the gas. You refuse payment, I launch the gas. You've got forty hours, until noon, day after tomorrow, to arrange transfer of the money. I am aware of your countermeasure. You know and I know it doesn't stand a chance. Hummel from Alcatraz, out. | „ |
| ~ General Hummel's instructions to the Pentagon before hung up and disconnecting. |
| “ | I'll come straight to the point. 83 Force Reconnaissance Marines have died under my various commands. 47 in Northern Laos and Southern China. | „ |
| ~ General Hummel talking to General Al Kramer from the Pentagon. |
Trivia
- It is unknown if Hummel's legacy lived on or if the government learned their lesson and gave the $100 million to his 83 Marines' families after his death.