Excellent entertainment

Rating: 9/10 (9 April 2004)

John Wayne, move your ass over. This version has more of the realism that Wayne's classic missed. Although Billy Bob Thornton will never surpass John Wayne as an actor, John Lee Hancock has definitely surpassed him, given us a superior movie in the role of director. The battle scenes were well done. I must admit though, I did miss what is a traditional memory to Texans, that of Travis drawing a line in the sand, and that of Bowie asking his men to carry him across Travis' line. As iconoclastic as I am, that omission hurt. Although there were a couple of scenes that were at best apocryphal, (the fiddling during the Mexican Army's playing of "Deguello" comes to mind), it was a very satisfying movie.