A tardy- but decent- review for 2004's The Alamo

I got a DVD player for Christmas, and was finally able to see the 2004 version of The Alamo. While my ears are rather plugged up by a cold, I didn't really catch that political correctness which some claimed plagued the movie. Historically it was far superior to the 1960 film- though neither musically nor as entertainment does it come close to measuring up to John Wayne's effort. But being a history buff, I'm not sure I don't like it better anyway simply because it told the story more truthfully.

As anticipated, Billy Bob Thornton made a marvelous Crockett. I was surprised by how well the casting worked generally; if Dennis Quaid wouldn't have been my first choice as Sam Houston, I have seen much worse casting in historical films (I still shudder at the thought of Martin Sheen as Robert E. Lee in Gettysburg). That tri-cornered hat Quaid wore did strike a jarring note, even if in 1836 it wouldn't have been exactly an anachronism. And the ten year old in me was finally satisfied by this film: it concludes with a brief but reasonably accurate depiction of Houston's decisive victory over Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto (in actual fact, it was a rout that was over in eighteen minutes), with Quaid addressing his troops before his surprise attack thus: "You will remember this battle until the day you die- every minute of it, and every second of it. But that is for tomorrow. For today- remember the Alamo!"


A trifle cheesy, perhaps- but satisfying, like a good, sharp cheddar.