Heartwarming / The Rock

• It turns out all Mason wanted from his cataclysmic car chase which "wrecked half of downtown San Francisco" was to meet his estranged daughter, who was conceived when he met her mother "drunk at a Led Zeppelin concert." It was an awkward moment, Mason unable to put his love for her and his promise to make up for lost time into proper words, and she hesitant to believe that he isn't still a violent criminal. Her awkward joy quickly turns to disappointment as the police cars arrive, at which point Stanley stands in and proclaims to her that Mason is on an important mission to save innocent hostages, restoring her faith and love in him. It is at this point Mason and Goodspeed's friendship and brotherly-bond begins to proper.
• The finale, in which Mason warmly discusses the meaning of Stanley's surname:
  Goodspeed: God-Speed: to wish someone a happy and prosperous journey.
  Mason: If it's a journey you fancy, consider the Sacred Heart Church in Kansas.
  Goodspeed: I was thinking Maui.
  Mason: (chuckles) Forget Maui.
• The friendship between Hummel and Baxter. It's clear that these two go back a long way and are not just a commanding officer and a competent henchman, but two comrades who are really close to each other.
• Goodspeed, having witnessed Womack tear up Mason's pardon, reports Mason as dead and tells him where he can make his getaway and even offers his own clothes and cash from his hotel room. To show his gratitude, Mason entrusts Goodspeed with the location of the long-lost microfilm for which he had been imprisoned.
  • Even Agent Paxton is implied to suspect Mason's true fate at the end and accepts Goodspeed's cover story, having earlier expressed disapproval that Mason had never received a fair trial for all his years in jail.
• Before Hummel enacts his plan to take over Alcatraz, he sees a school trip of children. He promptly kneels and tells two of the children to tell their teacher that their tour is being canceled.