Hugely Underrated Film!

Rating: 8/10 (3 May 2014)

The Alamo is a vast, smartly-told historical epic that is way better than people give it credit for. It's a shame this film is widely known as one of the biggest box office failures in the history of cinema because this is a much better film than that. It describes a history lesson that is significant in our American history and one that features some very courageous heroes who sacrificed themselves for the good of our country.
John Lee Hancock's film tells the story of the fall of the Alamo. As Santa Anna's army is crusading in Texas and converging upon Fort Alamo, several hundred men including the famous Davey Crockett are preparing their defenses to fight Anna's army as they wait for reinforcements from General Sam Houston.
A cast like this shouldn't have been strong as it is and that impressed me the most. Dennis Quaid did a decent job as Sam Houston, but I feel like Billy Bob Thornton had one of his best roles of his career as Davey Crockett. He had many brilliant scenes and my favorite is when he was serenading both the Americans and the Mexicans with the fiddle.
Overall, the Alamo is a very good history lesson. If nothing else, this movie is set to inspire people about the history and the odds these heroes had to overcome. There are some pacing and editing issues here and it's unfortunate Hancock had to cut out lots of footage because sometimes the story seems to be uneven. But also, this features one of the best scores that Carter Burwell has done. All-in-all, this is a great film and much better than the general consensus. I rate this film 8/10.