Historically accurate and so well done. A very underrated film.

Rating: Null/10 (26 February 2006)

I have been a history buff most of my life and was a small child during the height of the Fess Parker, "Davy Crockett" series and film that played on "The Wonderful World of Disney. Since then David Crockett was a particular favorite to research. This biopic effectively strips the myth from all of the people involved and reveals a far more compelling and honest story. Director John Lee Hancock and writers Leslie Bohem and Stephen Gaghan are the masterminds behind this effort and went out of their way to seek guidance from noted historians (check out DVD for their excellent commentary) and historical documents. No longer do we have men of marble but real flesh and blood, flawed people striving for greatness and success and ironically it is their very flaws (and the excellent acting) that make them both sympathetic and compelling to watch. This in turn makes their story far more moving.
The production values and special effects are amazing, authentic and go a long way to creating the look and feel of the period.
The Celtic style music by Carter Burwell is both stirring and beautiful and very well used throughout the film.
The acting is excellent all the way around. First and foremost IMHO are Jason Patric as Jim Bowie. Patric re-creates the legendary knife-fighter as a hardened cynical soldier of fortune with a burgeoning inner life. Patric is very believable as a man as quick to kill as he may have been to drink and carouse.
Billy Bob Thornton was physically an unconventional, yet finally excellent choice for Davy Crockett. Following in the footsteps of physically large, macho actors like John Wayne, Fess Parker and Brian Keith, Thornton is not a big man at all and also shorter and less athletic looking than the real Crockett. But he compensates for this with a contained, very honest, entertaining and riveting portrayal of a man both blessed and cursed by his celebrity. It is also far truer to the historical Crockett. Thornton, Hancock and the writers do a great job in showing the often unknown, anti-war and philosophic side of Crockett's nature in revealing his feelings about his role in the Red Stick War and in the scene where he must watch a young Mexican soldier die. The campfire scene in the Alamo where Thornton/Crockett confesses his feelings about the Red-Stick War is actually based on Crockett's auto-biography. This is a thinking man with a conscience who has seen it all. This Crockett can not jump across a river or catch a cannonball or grin a bear to death (the latter a funny line from the Fess Parker version). He is a man who in the end like the rest of the men and women in the Alamo show the greatest bravery in fighting for what they believed in and in facing the greatest fear of all, the fear of death. In the finale, we see a close facsimile of how Crockett may have died. It is far more moving than the traditional last-man-standing scene that has played in the many versions prior to this one.
Patrick Wilson is also excellent as William Travis. Here is a young man trying to live up to the ideals he has created for himself and struggling and bumbling along the way and finally coming to terms with the ultimate acceptance of having to be content "with the man he is now".
Jordi Mollà as the often overlooked Juan Seguin does a wonderful job in showing the great inner-conflict of a man who must fight against his own people to defeat the dictator Santa Ana. Seguin was later, like many Mexcians who sided with the "Texian-Americans" betrayed by the very people he fought with.
Emilio Echevarría is compelling as Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana. Although he is much too old for the character at that time, this is a leader both charismatic and consumed with greed.
Dennis Quaid walks a tough tight-rope in playing Sam Houston. This is another marble-like figure perhaps Texas's George Washington. Director Hancock and Quaid reveal a man tormented by what many feel today was a bipolar disorder that Houston suffered from. Quaid ably treads that fine line between overacting with enough of a dose of truth and realism to make this man come to life before us.
What makes people great in my mind is that they can accomplish things in spite of their foolishness, frailties or disabilities. This helps the rest of us to see that we too may have greatness in ourselves as well. What is compelling is that people can accomplish heroic deeds in spite of their fears or flaws.
Another great gesture is the honest portrayal of the black slaves, Sam and Joe. Thankfully we no longer have to see the faithful long-suffering slave throw himself across Jim Bowie to suffer the bayonet thrusts of the Mexican soldiers. Instead we see men who were suffering with the reality of slavery and not so willing to die for their "master's" cause.
The rest of the cast all add to the depth and credibility of the film. Each and every actor in the Alamo regardless of whether or not they had lines knew exactly who they were and you can feel that throughout the film.
When this movie first came out, I avoided seeing it, feeling that Thronton was not a great choice for Crockett and also feeling that perhaps this was going to be another flag-waving type film, making war seem like the great and noble deeds of men of marble. Instead we see the misfortune, confusion, degradation and personal isolation and yet great courage and fierce camaraderie that one can feel in combat. I'm glad for a chance to see historical characters with all their warts. It is far more compelling.
Do check out the DVD and the extras. It is an excellent history lesson and entertainment.