The Alamo

The Alamo (2004) starring Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid, Jason Patric, Patrick Wilson, Emilio Echeverria. In 1836, a small band of Texas patriots (about 200 defenders) fights an army of thousands of Mexicans in one of the pivotal battles of the war for Texan independence. Thornton is a standout as Davy Crockett, who finds he must live up to his legend even though he is only a man. The movie is well mounted, with convincing period detail. It also follows the general Sam Houston (Quaid) after the Alamo, as he uses the Alamo as a rallying cry to his army in a decisive battle with Mexican General Santa Anna and his army. It's a pretty good action flick, although I found it lacked immediacy and I found it hard to care about this battle fought in 1836. I can hardly imagine what the audience for this film would be. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B