Hisorical truth didn't have to be boring

Rating: 6/10 (1 January 2005)

At this moment in American history, with the government trying to slap on a heroic - if not happy face on a monstrous foreign policy, the idea of setting the record straight about the American past has appeal. We've been fed so many lies about our own history that when we see the truth, there's a built in shock value that should give the film a lift. And the facts could have made 'The Alamo' a good film. All it needed was a better script and tighter direction. It didn't have to be boring. And had it been better, other film makers might have been encouraged to take on other myths. How about a portrayal of Jesse James, serial killer - rather than a misunderstood Henry Fonda? The western is particularly fertile ground for remedial drama. But so are the stories of Bonnie and Clyde, The Sands of Iwo Jima, The Titanic - the list is long. And these subjects would work especially well in the hands of a number of directors with today's deeper, braver sensibilities. Opportunity missed. That's my verdict.