Plot
Based on the 1836 standoff between a group of Texan and Tejano men, led by Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, and Mexican dictator Santa Anna's forces at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.

Release Year: 2004

Rating: 5.9/10 (11,617 voted)

Critic's Score: 47/100

Director: John Lee Hancock

Stars: Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton, Emilio Echevarría

Storyline
Historical drama detailing the 1835-36 Texas revolution before, during, and after the famous siege of the Alamo (February 23-March 6, 1836) where 183 Texans (American-born Texans) and Tejanos (Mexican-born Texans) commanded by Colonel Travis, along with Davey Crockett and Jim Bowie, were besieged in an abandoned mission outside San Antonio by a Mexican army of nearly 2,000 men under the personal command of the dictator of Mexico, General Santa Anna, as well as detailing the Battle of San Jacinto (April 21, 1836) where General Sam Houston's rag-tag army of Texans took on and defeated Santa Anna's army which led to the indepedence of Texas.

Writers: Leslie Bohem, Stephen Gaghan

Cast:
Dennis Quaid - Sam Houston
Billy Bob Thornton - Davy Crockett
Jason Patric - James Bowie
Patrick Wilson - William Travis
Emilio Echevarría - Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana
Jordi Mollà - Juan Seguin
Leon Rippy - Sgt. William Ward
Tom Davidson - Colonel Green Jameson
Marc Blucas - James Bonham
Robert Prentiss - Albert Grimes
Kevin Page - Micajah Autry
Joe Stevens - Mial Scurlock
Stephen Bruton - Captain Almeron Dickinson
Laura Clifton - Susanna Dickinson
Ricardo Chavira - Private Gregorio Esparza (as Ricardo S. Chavira)

Taglines: Remember...

Official Website: Official site |

Release Date: 9 April 2004

Filming Locations: Texas, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $95,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $9,124,701 (USA) (11 April 2004) (2609 Screens)

Gross: $22,406,362 (USA) (18 July 2004)

Runtime: 137 min

Trivia:
John Wayne's film featured only Anglo men fighting at the Alamo, although this is not historically accurate. The film includes the character of Juan Seguin, a real Hispanic veteran of the Texas Revolution. Sadly, after the war, Texans began to suspect him of betraying them to the Mexicans, so he was forced to return to Mexico to avoid persecution. He ended up serving in the Mexican army and having to fight against his fellow Texans in the Mexican-American war.

Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Jim Bowie returns to his home in San Antonio, he enters the courtyard and stands for a moment. While standing there a light turns on illuminating part of the back wall.

Quotes:
Sam Houston: [after it is proposed that Santa Anna be hanged] No. You'll settle for blood. I want Texas.

Surprised at the negative reviews

Rating:

I've rarely been as surprised by the reviews I've read here - or disagreed with them more - than I was for this film. Most of the ones here are negative and call this film boring, poorly done and lacking in character development.

I am very easily bored. At just over 2 hours, I found this film captivating. Poorly done? John Lee Hancock's film is one of the most effectively produced I can remember. Not one moment of this film was shot on a sound stage. They took 50 acres in Texas and actually rebuilt the entire city of San Antonio de Behar and the Alamo and shot the entire movie in situ.

But the most amazing aspect of these reviews is the repeated accusation of lack of character development. I came away from this film understanding for the first time who William Barrett Travis, David Crockett, James Bowie and Sam Houston really were. The human underneath the legend as it were. David Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton) has a great line in this movie: "If it were just me, simple David from Tennessee, I might go over that wall one night and take my chances. But this Davy Crockett feller - people are watching him". Lack of character development? I don't think so.

The piece de resistance, though, and the one that made me take fingers to keys and write this review (something I almost never do) was the review which claims there was no tribute given to Tejano assistance in the Texas Revolution. Did this person see the same film I did? Or did he/she take a bathroom break every time Juan Seguin's character was on screen? The PRIMARY thing I learned from this historically accurate-as-possible-when-making-a-movie film was ... ta da .... the involvement of the Tejanos! I had never really considered before that there was a brother-against-brother aspect to the Alamo, but it was very implicit in this film.

Ignore the negative reviews, particularly if you are a history buff, and see this film.

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