I cried before the opening title

Rating: 6/10 (12 April 2004)

I was a huge fan of the Alamo as a kid, and I think almost any cinematic treatment of this powerful story would be moving in some way. So, I was very lenient towards the total Hollywood, focus-group filmmaking this is a result of, where for another movie I probably would rip it apart.
Billy Bob Thornton is amazing in his role as Davy Crockett, especially towards the 2/3 point in the movie. He basically carries the movie, since the other characters are pretty uninteresting. Jim Bowie's existential battle with a life of sin and final bout with consumption is more suggested (for those who know the story) than well-execute. So it worked for me. The battle scene could have been longer, and there were four or five laugh-out-loud bad parts, but I don't think there's anyway I couldn't have liked a movie with this title. I wish Ron Howard had kept it instead of the hack who finally directed it, but WHOEVER TOOK OUT THE "LINE IN THE SAND" SCENE SHOULD BE FIRED. thank you.