THE ALAMO

Director: John Lee Hancock (The Rookie)
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton, Jason Patric, Patrick Wilson

Despite an attempt to tell the "gritty truth" about the heros of the Alamo, here we end up with a broad, sappy movie on par with the Ted Turner Civil War films (Gods and Generals, etc). Daniel Boone in this film admits his inadequacies, Jim Bowie is holed up with pneumonia, and Sam Houston briefly is hawking land parcels to the rich in Washington DC. I guess that's better than John Wayne's folk tale Daniel Boone in a previous incarnation of Alamo story. There is mention given to the whole slavery thing, but it's mere lip service. Sadly, I learned nothing from this film - neither historical, nor emotional. That's bad news for an historical epic.

Standouts: I applaud them for the 'attempt' to get it historically accurate.
Blowouts: In the end this is a somewhat inane, mundane piece of work.

Grade: C+