Film makes a massacre of 'The Alamo'

Another historical war movie hits theaters, and while the historic aspects of "The Alamo" are fascinating to see on the big screen, the Hollywood vision weakens what could have been a wonderful film. \nOriginally it was to be rated R, directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe as Davy Crockett, when Hancock (whose directing credits include "The Rookie"), Billy Bob Thornton and a PG-13 rating stepped in. It was to be released in late 2003, but the three hour epic was delayed so it could be edited down to two hours. The result is a mediocre telling of a fascinating piece of American history. \nThe film focuses on the 13 day siege between a handful of American men attempting to take over the land which is now Texas and a huge Mexican army led by General Santa Anna (Emilio Echevarría). Between the long periods of waiting and short stints of battle, we learn about several historical American figures. \nThornton, who plays Crockett, gives an outstanding performance as a governor/fighter whose myth is so great even some Mexicans have heard that he can jump rivers in a single bound. He chuckles at this and at one point admits he only wore a coonskin hat after seeing an actor who played him sporting one. Thornton provides a majority of the film's humor and poignancy; for instance, he plays a fiddle and his first jig at a party is downright hilarious. His second, which he plays on the Alamo wall while a Mexican war band leads a battle march, is extremely moving. \nThe other characters include Jim Bowie (Jason Patric), a colonel who spends his time drinking and arguing with a young but determined Lieutenant Colonel William Barrett Travis (Patrick Wilson). Bowie is a strong character, but he is bedridden by sickness during the battle's climax, so we never really see him in action. \nSam Houston (Dennis Quaid) rounds out the cast. He was absent from the Alamo, and though troops were requested of him, he never delivered. This appears cowardly, but Houston makes up for it in the end and eventually forces Santa Anna to give up Texas in exchange for his life.\nWhile the historical aspects of the film are a major plus, it has several downfalls: The dialogue is trite -- nearly every line seemed like it was trying to be the most deep and memorable line, and, with the exception of Crockett, we are not given a good sense of the characters. In the battle at the Alamo a few Americans demonstrated amazing wills to endure, but the movie basically glorifies another American conquest full of murderous bloodshed. Maybe a history book would give a better interpretation.