The problem with going to see remakes is the inevitability of comparing them to the original.  I tried hard to like or dislike this picture on its own merits but the 1960 John Wayne version just kept getting in the way.  The reason for this is simple.  In 2004, some 44 years later, I was looking for an improvement on the original.  Bigger.  Better.  Slicker and with at least the same "epic" treatment that we got last time.  More on this later.

The siege at the Alamo was one of America's finest hours.  Regardless of what PCBS is being taught these days by those who would rewrite history, the fact remains that many brave men stood against huge odds to defend what they believed in.  Men who loved freedom and hated tyranny should be honored for such a brave stand and should be an example to all of us.  So much for the political statement.  Back to the picture.

The 1960 version was a huge and sprawling epic of a picture.  It was 2 hours and 45 minutes long and the theaters were full when it was first released.  It was BIG!  With no disrespect to those in this new version, there were BIG stars in the earlier one.  Dennis Quaid was good as Sam Houston but he was no Richard Boone.  Patrick Wilson (?) who portrayed Travis had none of the attitude and pompous swagger of Lawrence Harvey.  I can still see him with his big hat, giving orders and demanding respect.  Jason Patric was a joke of a Jim Bowie and didn't come close to
the Richard Widmark portrayal.  No style or punch.  The stand-out performance was that of Billy Bob Thornton.  Though we loved John Wayne's Davey Crockett, Thornton gave him the new look of a reluctant hero trying to live up to his legend.  He was just as strong but also witty and real. One other performance that needs mentioning is that of Emilio Echevarria as Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana.  He was a ruthless bastard who had complete disrespect for his own troops and ended up being a coward who would do anything to save his own life.  Great performance.

To compare these two pictures may be unfair but it is a fact of life that many will.  And while the 1960 version is better, there were some admirable qualities about this one.  I liked the fact that Santa Ana's defeat at the San Jacinto River was shown after the Alamo fell which is where the earlier version left off. I liked the fact that real Mexicans were cast for realism.  But the one thing that really stood out was the historic acknowledgement that there were many natural-born Mexicans IN the Alamo who also were there fighting for freedom.  Juan Seguin is a
historic figure that has been ignored and this time his story was told.  Bravo to the writers.  The bottom line?  I liked this picture but was looking for "bigger"!  I was looking for better and only got "good".  On its own merits, it was enjoyable.

"Is that Santa Ana? I thought he would be TALLER!"

RECOMMENDATION:  Take the whole family for a slice of history and a look at what got us here.  Rated PG13 for violence that we can historically justify.

Two historic and WELL REMEMEBERED THUMBS UP!!!  
(But ONLY if you make sure to watch the 1960 epic version!) 

 Movie Review © 2004 by Terry Anderson