Re-teaming Dennis Quaid with John Lee Hancock, the director of 2002's The Rookie, The Alamo retells the story of the historic 1836 battle in the Texan War of Independence. Facing 4,000 Mexican troops, 186 Texan soldiers and volunteers -- including William Travis (Patrick Wilson), Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton), and Jim Bowie (Jason Patric) -- retreat within the walls of the Alamo, a Franciscan mission that was converted into a military fort. Once inside, the men prepare themselves for what
will be a bloody battle to the death, as General Sam Houston (Quaid) leads the charge from the outside. Emilio Echevarria and Jordi Molla co-star. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
Thanks to the skills of director and co-screenwriter John Lee Hancock and a deep cast of reliable veterans, this is an authentic and rousing version of the most famous battle in Texas history.
Although handsomely mounted, and boasting some historically immaculate dressing and impressive battle sequences, it's a movie that ultimately can't convincingly get behind the idea of sacrifice.
This dog of a movie confirms that in 1836 Texas was stolen from Mexico by a bunch of opportunistic bastards whose descendants went on to use similarly underhanded methods to steal the office of the White House in 2000.
Not even good sets, plenty of historical detail, and Billy Bob Thornton can put life into director John Lee Hancock's slow-moving, poorly acted Texan saga.
Like its sets of the Alamo...the movie attempts to do more than is necessary, bogging down in minutiae where traditional facades would have done just as well.
The Alamo was just not a good film. I did not like the acting, it was overdone and there's too much talking going on. The film tried to portray some men as heroes when, for example, the character Jim Bowie just seemed like a drunkard, slave-owning bastard (maybe America tries to portray him as a hero when in my
perception he's not?. It's just not an interesting film.
The Alamo is the perfect example of a film that really good, but has gotten so much bad press because it was a box office bomb. The Alamo is a very underrated film that is an interesting history lesson as well as an entertaining film. Yes, it's a period piece, and it doesn't have exciting, thrilling explosion. But the
film is nonetheless an accomplished piece of work with a good enough cast to keep the viewer interested. I would recommend this film to people interested in history, and those interested in the Battle of the Alamo. There's a pretty good cast at hand here, and the film is one of those films that shouldn't be dismissed. The battle scenes are impressive, and will appeal to history buffs for sure. I think it's always impressive to see real events recreated and I thought that John Lee Hancock created a worthwhile historical film that will definitely appeal to history buffs. The Alamo shouldn't be regarded as a bad film. Just because the film bombed, doesn't mean films suck. There are tons of great films that have failed at the box office. If you're interested in the subject, then I recommend watching this film. But to the others expecting a solid action film, you will be sadly disappointed. A must see film for the history buff.
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