Hollywood History As Big As Texas

Rating: 7/10 (9 January 2005)

Everybody knows the story of the battle of the Alamo, even if not everybody can be certain of the details. John Lee Hancock's movie "The Alamo" attempts to tell that story again, with an eye for historical detail. As the movie was being made, it had problems, with Ron Howard bowing out as director, and Russell Crowe bailing as the star. The finished product isn't perfect, but it dies have its good points. The actors put in decent performances: Dennis Quaid as Gen. Sam Houston, Jason Patric as Jim Bowie, and Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett. In this movie, Crockett is seen as both man and myth, mostly the man aware of his myth. The best scene has Crockett answering the Mexican army band's fight song with his own fiddle playing. To the filmmakers' credit, not all Mexicans are portrayed as villains, although General Santa Anna does come off as unsavory, likening the lives of soldiers as "so many chickens." In the end, "The Alamo" is memorable.