too long and sentimental

Rating: 5/10 (14 April 2004)

I decided to see this film in order to get a historical perspective on what happened at the Alamo (in San Antonio, Texas.) Being a Disney film, however, it unfortunately wallowed too much in sentimentality to be a must-see production.
You do get a sense of the hopelessness of the Americans holding out against the Mexican Army, but that's not how the films ends. Sure enough, in order to attempt to be a crowd-pleaser, the Americans have to end up in victory.
Bill Bob Thornton plays Davey Crockett who just a good ol' boy known as a legendary modern day hero. Even the Mexicans know this. Like the Mexican General, the Crockett character grins too much for his own good.
Jason Patric plays the famous knife fighter Jim Bowie. You're just waiting for the classic Crocodile Dundee line, `That's not a knife. This is a knife' when Bowie practically pulls out a machete. His character is dour and not very likely.
Overall, this film would have benefited from being about an hour shorter.
Review by Triniman