Review of Alive (1993) by Lorenzo V — 24 Mar 2011
"I'm proud to be a man on a day like this.".
Uruguayan rugby team stranded in the snow swept Andes are forced to use desperate measures to survive after a plane crash.
REVIEW.
Frank Marshall's film adaptation of the book recounting the 1972 plane crash in the Andes of a Uruguayan soccer team is a long (try about 2 and 3/4 hours) film that spares little in the grueling endurance test that the surviving members of the crash face. It was (in 1993) populated by a mostly nameless cast in a deft move by producers to keep the characters involved central to the story. Ethan Hawke is about the biggest name in this film,and even though his character carries much of the weight of the movie's storyline, the group effort to endure and ultimately survive this trial is still the true focus here.
To me, this film was very difficult to watch, and the cannibalism storyline (which is dealt with very tastefully and soberly) is not my primary reason for that. As mentioned before, it is a long and detailed recount, where you the audience feel the shock, pain, expectations, dashed hopes, fears, tragedies, soul-searching, grief and (finally) joy of everyone involved. It is a gut-wrenching experience all around and I dare anyone who sees this film and pays any attention to it to say otherwise.
This review of Alive (1993) was written by Lorenzo V on 24 Mar 2011.
Alive has generally received positive reviews.
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