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Movies / On DVD / Proof of Life
Proof of Life

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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.

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jun 19, 2001

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Proof of Life

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The trouble with Proof of Life is that this high stakes crisis -- in real life -- probably causes more personal stress and conflict than we saw.

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment Comment
12/07/00
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

Hackford bookends his movie with some terrific action sequences, but the center is a void.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
12/08/00
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The movie takes its sweet time finding its own pulse, but once it does, Proof of Life proves itself alive and kicking.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
12/07/00
Todd Anthony
Todd Anthony
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Crowe's commanding performance stands out too strongly against the backdrop of this awkwardly paced, off balance production.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
02/07/01
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

Equal parts suspense thriller, unrequited love story, case study of what binds a marriage, and paramilitary dark op shoot-em-up.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
12/08/00
Bob Aulert
Bob Aulert
culturevulture.net

Larga, tediosa y manipuladora, es uno de los grandes fracasos del año

Full Review Source: Moviola | comment Comment
03/21/01
Jorge Avila Andrade
Jorge Avila Andrade
Moviola

Proof of Life, directed with craftsmanlike precision by Taylor Hackford, thrives on the tension he summons up.

Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee | comment Comment
12/08/00
Joe Baltake
Joe Baltake
Sacramento Bee

A muddled story.

Full Review Source: Fresno Bee | comment Comment
12/08/00
Rick Bentley
Rick Bentley
Fresno Bee

The movie's impressive look cannot fully compensate for the uneven and partially involving nature of the overall story.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A bona fide Third World thriller that deserves to be seen without all the prejudicial baggage and BS that has swirled around the movie for the last few months.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
12/07/00
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

Go to see Proof of Life and remember to stay to the very end.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
12/08/00
Jay Boyar
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel

Certainly, Proof Of Life has its flaws. For sheer adrenaline value, however, this movie rocks.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
12/08/00
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

[A] flat and thoroughly predictable piece of filmmaking.

comment Comment
12/07/00
Peter Brunette
Peter Brunette
Film.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A suspenseful action drama about people involved in a kidnapping: an American engineer, his wife, his drug dealing captors, and a man who negotiates with kidnappers.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
01/01/00
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

The movie delivers on its own terms.

comment Comment
12/07/00
Mark Caro
Mark Caro
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Proof of Life is intelligent, but culturally biased and less than altogether compelling.

comment Comment
12/08/00
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Expository flaws are easily forgotten as Proof of Life picks up steam

Full Review Source: AboutFilm.com | comment Comment
02/07/01
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

A refreshingly well-thought out drama that rises above the normal ransom drops and phone taps we’re used to.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
12/07/00
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

The story ... is far less exciting than the gossip generated during the film's production.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

An exciting travelogue into a whole new world of international intrigue that makes you think twice about travelling in the hot zones.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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