Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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67 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must-See, April 13, 2004
For an historical film to succeed it must vividly recreate the setting, conditions, people, conflict, and chain of events for its subject. Without question director John Lee Hancock--along with producers Mark Johnson and Ron Howard--meets all criteria with his sweeping film, THE ALOMO. Walking into the theater with less than enthusiastic expectations, along with some disquieting reservations (Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett? Give me a break!), I was immediately impressed with Hancock's unwavering commitment to detail--from a Texan volunteer's marking each day of the siege onto the Alamo's wall with his knife, to the Mexican army's band playing the haunting "Deguello" each night before Santa Anna unleashed his artillery. Such craftmanship enhances the entire viewing experience, and effectively pulls the audience back in time to the winter of 1836, when a foolhardy group of about 180 men held off more than 2,000 Centrist soldiers for days in a tiny compound overlooking San Antonio. An historical epic can only be as good as the people involved in the event, and THE ALAMO furnishes a feast of colorful characters. General Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid) frets and agonizes over sending reinforcements to the aid of his Texas brethren, but ultimately decides he must not jeopardize his gathering army by confronting Santa Anna at the Alamo. Colonel William Travis (Patrick Wilson) commands the Texas Regulars at the Alamo; he is viewed as a martinet by many of the men, so he must earn their respect, and he does. Famed knife fighter James Bowie (Jason Patric) is at odds with Travis and in conflict with his orders from Houston to confiscate the fort's cannon and move them back to the Brazos; succumbing to illness, he spends the bulk of the siege on his cot, which indeed becomes his deathbed. General Santa Anna (Emilio Echevarria), the eogomaniacal "Napoleon of the West," hopes to attract Houston's forces to San Antonio, and when it becomes apparent no reinforcements are coming he decides to attack and "take no prisoners." Yet, to my utter surprise and astonishment, Billy Bob Thornton dominates this cast as frontiersman and former Congressman Davy Crockett. Thornton gives a down-to-earth, even humble, portrayal of the Tennessee Mountain Man. Crockett was in Texas not as a mercenary but as a land speculator; his arrival at the Alamo two weeks before the siege was more a matter of bad timing than a duty to serve. But Crockett inspires the men, entertains and comforts them, and Thornton brings this character to fascinating life. Some reviewers have lamented the film is "too slow" or "boring." I maintain the movie is not meant to be an X-box game of gratuitous violence but a re-enactment of a siege that took 13 long days; I further maintain that when the actual fighting starts, it is powerful and at times even overwhelming. And yes, there is an element of Hollywood "creativity," but nothing that interferes with the historic authenticity, with the scope and the magnitude, of the Alamo's tragedy, and its subsequent inspiration. THE ALAMO is first-class entertainment--a must-see movie and a must-have DVD when released.
--D. Mikels
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36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
America's Iliad - re-imagined, September 26, 2004
If you want history, read some books. Let's get that out of the way first. There are many fine histories written on the battle of the Alamo, and disputing ideas about what exactly happened there. It is likely that, like Custer's Last Stand, the exact story of what went down at the Alamo will still be disputed by historians long after we all are dead.
This movie is about mythology, not history. While the battle of the Alamo was a historical event, it long ago entered into the realm of American Myth. It is our Iliad. If we cannot win, this is how we want to die - not shirking our duty, but finding something heroic inside ourselves to rise to the occasion. That was portrayed well in this film. The principle players, Bowie, Crockett, and Travis, are not born heroes here. Instead, they are strong men with flaws and quirks of character like all the rest of us. When they are confronted by crisis, we see them rise beyond their flaws, their doubts, even their fears, and in their last moments truly become the heroes of the legend. This was captured powerfully in this film.
An early scene shows Sam Houston speaking to Davy Crockett about Texas at a ball in Washington, near the end of Crockett's term in congress. Seeing the two together, an observer whispers to another man that either of those two might once have had a chance to be president, but no more. It is a nicely done scene accomplishing several things at once. First it allows us to see the two as men who had risen to a certain level of success and power, with some reason to expect more to come. It then shows us that before the fighting in Texas, both were men whose star was in decline, and who may have faded out of history had they not cast their lot with the Texicans. Finally, it establishes from the beginning that Davy Crockett was more than a coonskin hat-wearing cliche hero, and prepares us to see him played as a fully dimensional character. This is just one example out of many of how efficient and well made this movie is.
The whole cast did a great job with their roles, but I thought that Billy Bob Thornton as Crockett delivered a particularly outstanding performance; one of the best of his career. The role gave him many opportunities to shine, and he rose to the occasion. Chills ran down my spine when his Crockett stood like a chuckling Prometheus to answer the murderous music of the Deguello with his defiant fiddle. And in his death scene, he created a powerful alternative take on how a hero can die. Though it is one of the most controversial scenes of the film, I believe any man could be proud if they were able to meet death with such courage and defiant humor.
The film has some flaws - much was edited out, and it leaves the story and character of Dennis Quaid's Sam Houston feeling choppy and incomplete. But taken as a whole, this is a powerful new take on a great American legend, not replacing, but adding to what went before. It has many layers and much nuance, and is a film which bears seeing more than once to take everything in. While not perfect, I can't give four and a half stars, so I give it five.
Theo Logos
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57 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent retelling of the Alamo siege and battle, April 14, 2004
The Alamo is an excellent historical epic depicting the famous battle and its aftermath in 1836. In February/March 1836, 184 Texians defended the Alamo against a much larger Mexican army led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. For thirteen days, the Alamo defenders held back the Mexican army until on the morning of March 6 they were overwhelmed in the predawn darkness. This movie has received a lot of bad publicity, but don't listen to it. This is not your typical action movie, but instead a character driven drama with excellent battle scenes. The movie accurately portrays what took place during the siege. Although director John Lee Hancock had to cut almost an hour from the original version, this is still a very good movie and well worth a watch.
The Alamo does not have a bad performance from its cast. Billy Bob Thornton absolutely steals the show as David Crockett, the ex-Congressman who finds himself at the Alamo. Thornton brings a human side to Crockett not seen before in any Alamo movies. Also, Crockett's controversial death scene is one of the best scenes in the whole movie so I doubt you'll be disappointed. Dennis Quaid is very good as Sam Houston, although his part was significantly cut in the editing room. Jason Patric and Patrick Wilson are great as the famous knife-fighter, Jim Bowie, and the young Alamo commander, William Barrett Travis. The film also stars Emilio Echevarria as Santa Anna, Jordi Molla as Juan Seguin, Kevin Page as Micajah Autry, and Leon Rippy as Sgt. Ward. I loved this version of the movie, but I do hope a Director's Cut DVD is released. The DVD offers widescreen presentation, deleted scenes with optional commentary, a commentary track with two Alamo historians, and three very good featurettes. With great characters, beautiful cinematography, excellent battle scenes, and a haunting score by Carter Burwell, The Alamo is a great historical epic. Check out The Alamo!
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