Great performances, choppy editing

Rating: 10/10 (10 April 2004)

I enjoyed the film although the choppy editing made for a small amount of confusion and robbed a potentially great film of its continuity. Billy Bob Thornton should get an Oscar nod for his performance as David Crockett and Patrick Wilson as William Barrett Travis was able to bring many dimensions to a very stilted character. Dennis Quaid's egocentric Sam Houston was something of a caricature, but many non-Texans view Mr. Huston in just such a historic light.
I thought the film failed in its attempt to show the fight for the Alamo as a civil war, of sorts, comprised of a mixed bag of soldiers fighting on each side. In the current theatrical release, Santa Ana is portrayed as a foppish Napoleon, but there is very little development of the other Mexican characters. On the other hand, David Crockett, Colonel Travis, and Jim Bowie are fairly well fleshed out, as are many supporting roles. If the film is to give a truly rounded portrayal of the events, it needs to balance the character development of the people inside the Alamo with more information about the soldier's in Santa Ana's army.