Absolutely No Redeeming Qualities

Rating: 2/10 (30 April 2004)

It is truly rare to have a director make no right decisions. From the very
beginning, to the very end, this film is one bad decision after another. Bad camera angels and shots. Oppressive music. Unnecessary scenes, edits, and
badly placed character exposition.
Emilio Echevarria and Billy Bob Thornton are the only highlights in a weak cast that made every moment seem forced and led to a complete lack of sympathy
for anyone. You can argue that Thorton and Echevarria are redeeming
qualities, but why suffer this whole film just to see them? Watch something else with them and be grateful you avoided THIS.
Am I being to harsh? Well, let me put it this way. You pan the camera over a beautiful sunset in Texas. Red hues illuminate the clouds amidst a deep blue sky. A tranquil, almost serene, moment that could awe the audience and create a beautiful backdrop to the coming war scenes at the Alamo. So, what does
director John Lee Hancock do? He allows a loud, literally oppressive
Orchestral moment by composer Carter Burwell.
There is no point to continuing to list the endless awkward or just plain bad scenes.