Review of The Alamo (2004) by John C — 14 Dec 2007

The alamo was a 1962 western directed by John Wayne. I thought it was okay but it was too preachy and to american. But the new version from john lee hancock is a much better improvement over the originally. While in the original John Wayne made davy Crocket, jim Bowie and colonel travis as larger than life american heroes who kill more than a hundred mexiucans before they met their detah is full glory and making the mexican like cartoon caharcters. In this film by John Lee Hancock, Davy crocket, jim bowie and colonel travis look more human and real than they did in the original version and the mexicans are also come off very real and respected. The story known to many american takes place in texas as the american fought against the mexican to win the battle over taking texas from the mexican government. This key event in american history was the pivotal war that made the us win the state known now as texas. The alamo provided a post where american settlement and the mexican army ran by santa anna portecting people working to develop the budy territory including Davy Crocket, Jim Bowie and Sam Houston. When the alamo was ran by a new leader named colonel travis things began to go sour which eventually led the post for an ambush led by mexican leader santa anna who sole purpose is to take over texas and the post. When word spread out about santa ana plans to take over the alamo, an angered Sam Houston begins to spread word to the american government to help him send an army to protect the alamo which is portected only by a few hundred people compared to santa ana's massive army by the hundreds. Through many battle sequences which devastated santa's army in the end santa and his army slaughtered everyone at the post and afew weeks later General Sam Houston and his american army would confront Sanata anan once again but this time the americans won the war and texas became part of the usa.

The battle sequences are superb. Ver well choregraphed and staged. The shots are exciitng to watch. The dialogue ius crisp and real. The direction is good. But it's the actors most notably Bill Bob Thornton as Davy Crocket, Dennis Quaid as Sam Houston and Jason Patrick as Jim Bowie that makes this film well worth sitting through. They bring a realism and a dimenion to the characters that make them come alive oin film than the original did. The scene where a soldier from santa ana's army begins to play a music number on his violin and replied back by davy crocket who plays a number back on his violin is a wonderful sequence at this moment we realize that even though it a war that music could bring some peace for just for a few seconds to two armies who would later kill each other. The ways that the main characters die is also real.

A must to own and worth watching several times. a beautiful masterpiece.