The Alamo Review
by Laura Clifford (laura AT reelingreviews DOT com)April 12th, 2004
THE ALAMO
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As Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid, "The Rookie") works to sell the glories and opportunities of Texas to Americans, young Lt. Col. Travis (Patrick Wilson, HBO's "Angels in America") is sent to protect an old Spanish monastery, now used as a fort, from the 'Napoleon of the West' and self-proclaimed emperor Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (Emilio Echervarrķa, "Die Another Day"). It is here that history will be made as circumstance brings together Travis, Jim Bowie (Jason Patric, "Narc"), American legend Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton, "Bad Santa") and less than two hundred volunteers to do what Houston knows is impossible - defend "The Alamo."
Director Johnny Lee Hancock ("The Rookie") has been in post-production reshaping this troubled film (producer Ron Howard left as director when Disney refused to allow an R rating) since it was bumped from its original Christmas release. While the PG-13 rating certainly softens the gut-wrenching blow that could have been delivered, it is ultimately the emphasis of events that keeps "The Alamo" from becoming the epic rouser it was meant to be. Still, fine production values and an Oscar nomination worthy performance from Billy Bob Thornton make "The Alamo" worthwhile.
This is the Cliff Notes version of the story, where the only notable players are the famous names. Outside of the stars, the only characters of note are Juan Seguin (Jordi Mollą, "Bad Boys II"), a representative of all Mexican Texians, Bowie's sister-in-law Juana (Estephania LeBaron), who stays because Bowie had loved and married her Mexican sister, and the slaves Joe (Edwin Hodge) and Sam (Afemo Omilami). Recognizable character actor Leon Rippy ("Eight Legged Freaks") gets a lot of face time, but little opportunity or dialogue to flesh out Sgt. William Ward.
Houston's introduced as a sot who asks drinking buddy Jim Bowie to return to the Alamo to retrieve a cannon. Travis is portrayed as a career soldier so ambitious, he's abandoned his wife and children (Zooey Deschanel's actress sister Emily arrives as his wife to serve divorce papers). He is established in mutual loathing with Bowie before relieving the command of Colonel Green Jameson (Tom Davidson), whose recall from the Alamo at the command of Houston is unclear at best. Bowie arrives with a rag tag partying band, contrasting sharply with Travis's more disciplined soldiers. Davy Crockett shows up, presumably on Houston's earlier salesmanship, surprised to hear that fighting may ensue. His wry acceptance of maybe having to live up to his legend sets the stage for the encroaching battle.
Having not read the original screenplay (Leslie Bohem, "Dante's Peak," Stephen Gaghan, "Traffic" and Hancock) it is difficult to judge what was removed from the final film, but the decision to keep a coda involving Houston's "Remember the Alamo!" defeat of Santa Anna (a la Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor") while neglecting to provide the audience with the historical reasons leading up to the massacre at the Alamo was wrong-headed. While Santa Anna is portrayed as a ruthless warrior, one could also deduce that he was freeing his own people from Texian land grabbers and freeing slaves (nothing could be further from the truth). Houston's war tactics (he used the real Napoleon's Waterloo as a template) are interesting and the final twenty minutes erase previous, cowardly impressions given of the man, but the final chapter also blunts the Alamo heroics and steals the last act from the deserving Thornton.
And Billy Bob is simply great in this film, a living, breathing Davy Crockett who views his stature with amused self deprecation and understanding of people's need for heroes. The film's single greatest scene is when the fiddle-playing Crockett defies Santa Ana's ritual of having his troops play "Deguelo," a message meaning no mercy will be shown, before the nightly pummeling of the fort. Hancock gets everything right in this scene, directing cinematographer Dean Semler's ("We Were Soldiers") camera in an ever expanding spiral from the impish Thornton's rooftop fiddle harmony, all set against a glorious sunset. The portrayal of Santa Ana's own troops' admiration for Crockett provides most of the film's humor.
Also fine is Wilson, who traverses a strong character arc with authority. Patric sits out most of the film in a fever state. Quaid, having shown a resurgence in "The Rookie" and "Far From Heaven," backslides here, playing Houston in a state of jaw set constipation.
The production itself is beautiful. Production designer Michael Corenblith ("How the Grinch Stole Christmas") and art directors Lauren E. Polizzi ("EdTV") and Dan Webster ("How the Grinch Stole Christmas"), all Ron Howard alumni, give the film a 'you are there' feel. Use of computer imagery is apparent only fleetingly (most noticeably in a cannonball's point of view sequence). Carter Burwell's ("The Ladykillers") score is stirring.
B-
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