"The Alamo" (***)
Although this latest film version of Texas’ legendary "13 days to glory" disappointed at the box office, it deserves viewing, especially if you live in Texas, are a Texan, have ever known one, or just wish you were one. After debuting with his surprise hit film, "The Rookie," John Lee Hancock directed this film that required a massive south Texas reconstruction of the famed San Antonio mission (note Michael Corenbluth’s great sets). In addition to the film’s meticulous authenticity, it is the first of the many films about the Alamo that actually attempted to tell the story straight, without John Wayne-like embellishments. And since the story is so familiar, we’ll skip to the cast: as Tennessee-native-come-to-Texas Davy Crockett, Billy Bob Thornton takes the lead in a role perfectly suited for him. Ably supporting him are Jason Patric as fiery Jim Bowie and Patrick Wilson as the cold William Travis. Dennis Quaid takes a smaller role as Sam Houston. Maybe the film never caught on because Texans are overly familiar with the subject, and no one else cares about it as much as natives. But, whatever the reason, "The Alamo" is worth a look. In Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.
Rated PG-13, 136 minutes. The DVD comes with three abundantly informative featurettes for those needing a primer on the Alamo’s legendary men. The brief "Walking in the Footprint of Heroes" offers a look at how each main actor approached his role, with biographical material on the real figures. The much better than usual 18 minute "making of" featurette, "Return of the Legend: The Making of ‘The Alamo,’" takes a look the film’s laborious genesis. "Deep in the Heart of Texans" offers testimony from native Texans Dennis Quaid and John Lee Hancock on what being a Texan means to them. This segment also includes some brief clips from the many other films based on the battle. The six minutes or so of deleted scenes don’t offer much but do come with optional commentary by Hancock as to why they were deleted.