Does director John Lee Hancock really remember the Alamo?

John Lee Hancock's The Alamo looked bad from the beginning. With Disney hopping on the recent Hollywood historic epic bandwagon, The Alamo had a lot of competition for its original December '03 release--The Last Samurai, Cold Mountain and LOTR, to name a few. It seems The Alamo's marketers made a good decision in postponing the date, because this movie isn't really in the same league as the competition.

The Alamo begins slowly and continues in that vein for its duration. Even though this is a tale about an American massacre in a land not yet claimed by the United States, Hancock tries to tout The Alamo as a patriotic story. He depicts Santa Ana (Emilio Echevarría) as a greedy, one-dimensional dictator with a penchant for beautiful Mexican prostitutes, and extends the movie to include Santa Ana's capture and the acquisition of Texas, so that the credits don't roll with the Americans as the losers. He also glosses over the issue of Mexicans fighting on the American side.

The film's occasionally creative cinematography and a few strong leads are its most redeeming traits. Dennis Quaid plays a mediocre General Sam Houston, whose boozing and goofy sternness make him unintentionally laughable. However, Billy Bob Thornton makes an appealing Davy Crockett, affecting his natural Southern accent and charm. His smirk and drawling delivery make The Alamo's lame one-liners almost bearable, then eventually passable as the movie progresses.

Finally, relative newcomer Patrick Wilson portrays Col. William Travis with dignity, managing to make him a sympathetic character even after it is established that he abandoned his pregnant wife and child.