The Alamo Movie Review:


The Alamo has always been as one of the most classic legends of American history. The Alamo symbolized an epic struggle, desperate realization of horror and the legendary men who fell to an onslaught of Mexican soldiers numbering in the thousands. It was a story that lived on in infamy as an inspiration.

In the 2004 version of the events, General Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid) meets wily congressman David Crockett (Billy Bob Thorton) in a crowded high class ballroom. Houston moves Crockett with his promises of the grand state of Texas and promises he can get as much land as the eye can see if he just enlists for a period.

Meanwhile knifeman Jim Bowie (Jason Patric) watches as his rival Lt. Col. William Barrett Travis (Patrick Wilson) becomes Colonel of the Texan stronghold, The Alamo. Bowie knows that his inexperienced rival isn’t fit for such a prestigious command and stands up against him.

Soon after the arrival of Davy Crockett, a huge army of Mexican soldiers descend upon the Alamo lead by their egomaniac General Santa Anna. For days, Santa Anna doesn’t attack as he seems to measure his kill like a steady bullfighter. When he finally attacks a legend is born.

The Alamo story is a majestic legend which houses great drama, self sacrifice and action but this 2004 version has none of that. The film gathers up all the key players then blends them up and then shoots them out through a salad shooter in hopes the audience wants to follow. There is no feeling and a lot of useless screen time. There are so many scenes that could have been cut.

I think the filmmakers should have unveiled a lot more of Jim Bowie’s background and pay less attention to moping Houston. We hardly get to know any of the key figures except for Thorton’s Crockett and we know they will all meet terrible ends. It’s hard to feel sorry for these guys or even get involved with the story because they are overly moody and drunk for most of the picture.

The film’s first half seemed to be spread out and seemed to be building to the epic bloody battle but it seemed to limp across the line as the battle commenced. The battle wasn’t even that harrowing. I remember how striking epic battle sequences in films like “Zulu” and “Glory” kept my eyes glued to the screen. The scenes should have been harrowing and unforgiving and the audience needed to be more involved in the film. By taking the film to that level we would remember the Alamo.

I wanted to be moved and I wanted this film to lift the epic story to another level. All of the problems that this version of The Alamo had were better dealt with and realized in the classic John Wayne version. This film makes the Duke’s version practically immortal.

Another huge problem with The Alamo is that it suffers from “Pearl Harbor syndrome” where the film goes for the all mighty happy ending. It is the Alamo, for crying out loud. It is supposed to be tragic, flooring and moving but you lose any respect for the film as the third act begins. Stay the course; we don’t have to win every battle.

I do have to say that the performance by Billy Bob Thorton as Davey Crockett is probably the best of the piece. I never thought in a million years he could pull it off. I guess I was tarnished by the Disney’s Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier from 1954. But here he allows us to see him for a man and not the infamous grizzly dueler. I loved Davey Crockett as a kid and knew his television anthem by heart but for me Thorton allowed me to see him finally as just the man. That is probably all I will take away from this film.

This Alamo will fall and no one will remember it. What a shame.

(1 out of 5)

So Says the Soothsayer

Dean Kish

1836, after an earlier defeat Mexican dictator Santa Ana (Echevarría) gathers a bigger army to take back the strategic stronghold, The Alamo. Overly confident after their last victory, a make shift Texican army lead by William Travis (Wilson), backed up a rag-tag militia under the command of legendary knife fighter James Bowie (Patric) are dispatched by General Houston (Quaid) to remove the cannons and bring the remaining troops back. Joined by Davy Crockett (Thornton), they think this an easy mission until the Mexican army arrive.

Epic historical drama with recreations of battles that defined an era have become very common over the past few years, so recreating the last stand at The Alamo must have seems like a good idea. It is just a shame that the studio didn’t have the guts to push it as far as they could.

Recreating an epic historical battle for the big screen in modern times means that realism is pushed to the maximum, as the filmmakers take the viewer into the action, as if they where a soldier themselves. The true horror of battle needs to be recreated so that future generations can appreciate the sheer courage and the ultimate sacrifice these people made. War should not be glorified it should be shown as a necessity only in the troubled of times, when liberty and freedom are threatened. The Alamo doesn’t really do this.

The decision by financers Disney to reduce the realism of the battle to enable the film to receive a lower classification leads to a movie that suffers from a lack of realism due to the absence of blood or any serious injury been show graphically on screen. Some may argue that gore is not needed to portray the gravity of the battle but when the power of the 18lb cannon only seems to knock the Mexicans over and blow off their hats, realism seems to have taken a back seat. This kind of warfare was extremely bloody but the decision not to show this only degrades the story.

The script is also filled with so many holes that you would think that the writers had turned the cannon on themselves. Many of the characters do not have enough of their backstory explained to do these historical figures justice. The writers seem to assume that the audience already know the history of many of these legendary figures but this assumption produces too many questions for a non-American audience. For example “Why is there tension between William Travis and Jim Bowie?” “Why did Davy Crockett come to the Alamo, as General Houston offered him land just to join him” and “If the Alamo was so important, why didn’t Santa Ana leave any troops there after winning the battle?” All these questions and more are completely unanswered.

The cast do there best with the material but only two of them produce really memorable performances. Billy Bob Thornton is tremendous as the legendary Davy Crockett. He plays the part as a man who is struggling to live up to his own reputation. He is a normal man who has been made extraordinary by a play based loosely on his life and everywhere he goes it follows him like a dark, foreboding shadow that he can never loose. Thornton plays this superbly, making Crockett vulnerable, even scared at times but still heroic to the end. Emilio Echevarría is also good as Mexican dictator Santa Ana. He plays the man with a slight hint of madness as he see himself as the Napoleon of the New World but has to surpass French leaders achievements. He is a man who will gain power however many men it costs.

The rest of the cast don’t really fair as well. Each of them suffers from vastly underwritten roles that don’t reveal enough about the character so that the actor can get to grips with it. Dennis Quaid doesn’t have a lot to do as General Houston but give two speeches and utter the immortal line. Jason Patric’s Jim Bowie has a few key scenes early on and then spends the rest of the movie in bed ill. Patrick Wilson’s William Travis fairs a little better but comes across as an unsure commander who struggled to gain the loyalty of his men. The rest make so little impact that you don’t even know their names.

The Alamo is a wasted opportunity that could have brought some realism to the legendary tale. What we have instead is a glossy, Hollywood version that doesn’t have the guts to portray the events with any kind of realise. Will you remember The Alamo? Probably not.

Star Rating = * *

Jamie Kelwick

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