The unconvincing Proof of Life is a missed opportunity.
Proof of Life (2000)
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Reviews Counted:113
Fresh:44
Rotten:69
Average Rating:5.3/10
Consensus: Despite its promising premise and superstar cast, Proof of Life is just a routine thriller that doesn't offer anything new.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] violence, language and some drug material
Runtime: 2 hrs 15 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Dec 8, 2000 Wide
Box Office: $31,193,043
Synopsis: Around the world, between 20,000 and 50,000 people are kidnapped each year. In Taylor Hackford's suspense-filled adventure film, American businessman Peter Bowman (David Morse) is traveling in a... Around the world, between 20,000 and 50,000 people are kidnapped each year. In Taylor Hackford's suspense-filled adventure film, American businessman Peter Bowman (David Morse) is traveling in a Latin American country when a group of criminals take him as their hostage and hold him for ransom. The megacorporation he works for sends in an expert hostage negotiator, Terry Thorne (Russell Crowe), to settle on a ransom with the kidnappers, an antigovernment faction. Thorne earns the reluctant trust of Bowman's wife, Alice (Meg Ryan), and begins trying to win Bowman's freedom, but conflict with Bowman's employers, missteps with the kidnappers, and Thorne's growing attraction to Alice threaten to derail his efforts. Crowe and Ryan are excellent as thrown-together allies under pressure, and Morse's descent from collected businessman to desperate hostage anchors the film. Watch for former NYPD BLUE sensation David Caruso as Crowe's partner. PROOF OF LIFE is based on an article entitled "Adventures in the Ransom Trade," written by William Prochnau, which was published in the May 1998 issue of Vanity Fair magazine. [More]
Starring: Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe, David Morse, Pamela Reed
Starring: Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe, David Morse, Pamela Reed, David Caruso
Director: Taylor Hackford
Director: Taylor Hackford
Screenwriter: Tony Gilroy
Producer: Charles Mulvehill
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Reviews for Proof of Life
Whatever sparks ignited off the set fail to register on film, in essence ruining Taylor Hackford's drama.
Crackles, sputters, and starts up finally in the last half of the movie.
Tragically for both Hackford and the punters, the best drama came when the cameras weren't rolling.
Kidnapping romance showcases Crowe's gifts -- and Ryan's limitations.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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