The Alamo

I didn't really want to see The Alamo when it came out. The previews didn't make it look all that great, and the story isn't really my favorite story in American history. In fact, I wasn't all that familiar with the story anyway. But lately I've decided to see if I like Patrick Wilson as much as I suspect that I do, so I've been renting the few movies that he's in. The Alamo was one of them. I was pleasantly surprised by the movie. It was a nice historical drama. Nothing spectacular, but nice. I wouldn't put it at the level of The Patriot, one of my favorite American History war dramas, but it was pretty good. Billy Bob Thorton was fine in it as Davy Crockett. The moment where Crockett plays his violin with Santa Ana's men is probably completely fictional, but it was a nice movie moment. Jason Patric did a nice job as Jim Bowie, a character I'd heard of but never really known much about. As for Dennis Quaid as Sam Houston -- he wasn't really a major part of the movie until after everyone at the Alamo was dead, but you can see why Texans love Sam Houston. Actually, this movie lets you know why Texans love Texas. Historically, The Alamo wasn't exactly right on. However, I do know a bit more about the story and am willing to find out more. It's an entertaining movie that makes Santa Ana the bad guy instead of the Mexican army, that makes heroes out of people who wouldn't normally be heroes (like Travis, the Patrick Wilson character), and that questions heroes that are already folklore in their own era (Davy Crockett). I wouldn't rush out to rent The Alamo, but I wouldn't warn you off of it, either.