The Alamo
Rated PG-13 for sustained intense battle sequences.
reviewed by Christopher Lyon
Remember “The Alamo”? It’s a big budget would-be blockbuster that came and went quickly at the multiplex. Any historical movie about military defeat is going to have to take its stand at the box office against an army of more escapist entertainment. “The Alamo” fought well—but didn’t quite win audiences over.
The Story
It’s a tale well known to history buffs, watchers of the other Alamo movies, and Texans everywhere. In 1836, a smallish collection of Texas freedom fighters was sent to protect an old mission-turned-fort in the town we now know as San Antonio. They fought to give not-yet-an-American-state of Texas its independence from Mexico.
Commissioned by General Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid) and led by the young and formal Lt. Col. William Travis (Patrick Wilson), the group included a couple of then-celebrities who eventually became American legends: Jim Bowie (Jason Patric) and Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thorton).
When the Alamo and the town that surrounds it were unexpectedly besieged by the full-force of the Mexican army, these few hundred soldiers made their historic stand—hoping to be rescued by Sam Houston and his army. He never came, even though the Mexican general Santa Anna (Emilio Echevarria) waited for a couple of weeks while taking evening pot shots at the Alamo from outside the walls.
The movie mostly takes us inside those walls to follow the last hours of Travis, Bowie, Crockett, and the others. Occasionally, we visit the larger than life Santa Anna, as well Sam Houston in his torment over not being able to save those inside the Alamo.
Eventually—inevitably, really—the moment comes and the battle rages. Afterwards, the movie gratefully includes the rest of the story, as Santa Anna chases Houston’s army to their final confrontation.
The Verdict
In many ways, “The Alamo” is well-executed filmmaking. It includes elements of an epic, historical drama—a good cast; great soundtrack; big, real-life characters; real-looking sets and costumes; and a story with consequences. But director John Lee Hancock is unable to deliver what the movie really needs—a stirring sense of what these doomed men are fighting and dying for.
When I think of the best historical military movies in which men fought and (sometimes) lost, giving their lives for a cause that really mattered—“Brave Heart,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Patriot,”—“The Alamo” just doesn’t fit on the list, because it never climbs high enough to let us feel how much the sacrifice of these soldiers really meant to history, or even to the soldiers themselves.
Part of the problem might be that the truth is getting in the way. Unlike the directors of those other films, Hancock seems so committed to getting the details right that the final product feels a little more like “The History Channel” than stirring cinema. I found myself thinking, “Wow, it must have been awful to be one of the guys in that fort, waiting for the final attack,” instead of “Wow, it must be awful to be that guy on the screen right now.”
Having said that, Billy Bob Thorton brings both lightness to the film and weight to his role as Davy Crockett. He’s the best thing about the movie. By showing us Crockett’s flaws, he reveals a man of deeper courage and conviction than the bear-killing celebrity he had become at that point. The most moving scene in the film involves Crockett standing on the walls of the Alamo, playing his fiddle along with the Mexican army band as they prepare to fire on the fort.
The rest of the cast is fine. But only Echevarria as the arrogant Santa Anna and Quaid as Houston join Thorton in succeeding to put flesh and blood on their historical characters.
I’m sure “The Alamo” will be shown in high school history classes around the country (and, especially, in Texas). And it will be great for that. But as cinema, it falls just a little short of making history.
The close-up battle scenes and long shots of dead bodies earn “The Alamo” it’s PG-13 rating, though it’s much less bloody or gory than it would have been if Mel Gibson had made it.
Worldview
Although I didn’t necessarily feel it in my bones, one worldview of the movie is that freedom is worth fighting and dying for—even if there’s no chance you’ll survive. It’s a noble concept.
As Americans, the high value of freedom is one of the principles our nation is founded on. We make heroes of those who sacrifice their lives to protect that freedom—and rightly so. Men and women are giving their own lives for that freedom right now on the other side of the globe. That kind of sacrifice isn’t just history.
As Christians, we give our highest value to Jesus for the same reason. Paul wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1) He sacrificed His life so that we could gain freedom from the power and consequences of sin. He fought and died to give us eternal freedom in the house of God.
A good question to ask both about our freedom as Americans and our freedom as Christians is this: What are we doing with it?
Discussion Questions
• What did you like best about “The Alamo”?
• If you’ve seen any other move versions of this story, how do they stack up to this one?
• Did “The Alamo” inspire you?
• What are some of your favorite movies about sacrifice and freedom? Why?
• If you’re a believer, what does it mean to you that Christ has set you free? Free from what and free to do what?
• What can you do that you couldn’t do if you lived in a nation with less freedom than the one you’re in?
• What can you do that you couldn’t do if you didn’t have the freedom that comes with trusting in Christ as Savior?
• Are you making the best use of your freedoms? If not, what could you do different?
Let us know what you thought of this review!