The Alamo

PG-13

Released Mar 27, 2004

2 hr. 17 min.

War

History

Drama

List

29%

159 Reviews

Tomatometer

46%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In 1836 Gen. Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid) organizes a rebel army to liberate Texas from the brutal rule of Mexican dictator General Santa Anna (Emilio Echevarría). Though vastly outnumbered, Gen. Houston's volunteer army includes such folkloric figures as Jim Bowie (Jason Patric) and Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton). As Santa Anna's forces advance on San Antonio, the legendary general and his men prepare for a final heroic standoff at a battle-worn mission called the Alamo.

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Critics Consensus

Too conventional and uninvolving to be memorable.

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Sergio B

If you like historical movies with a side of epicness, then you might enjoy The Alamo as much as I did. It's a movie that in today's film landscape would be a completely divisive product, which makes it already worth your time. Although many give Billy Bob Thorton praises, and he deserves them, watch out for Jordi Molla's performance. Dennis Quaid also does a lot with a script that's not too keen on memorable dialogue. Patrick Wilson and Emilio Echevarria do their best, but then again, the script wasn't the right one for their characters. The Alamo battle is one of my favorites ever put to film. It's both massive and personal and God I wish Game of Thrones producers would've seen it before shooting The Long Night episode. It's brutal, it's glorious, and it happens at night. That's how you shoot a battle scene in a dark environment! Give it a try. You might even learn something.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/12/24

Full Review

Stephen M

Not really a bad film. Maybe a B grade overall.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/08/24

Full Review

Ben C

Is it slow at some parts? yes of course, but during a time where Battle wasn't expected not everything is fast paced. Is it a perfect movie? No, but what movie is to everyone. I did find this movie to much better than what the critics say.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/25/23

Full Review

matt L

This is a very good film and will be re-evaluated over time. Builds the suspense and fear these men must have felt. Great battle scenes too

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/08/23

Full Review

Jeffrey O

John Lee Hancock's THE ALAMO may not be as good as John Wayne's THE ALAMO (Director's Cut) in regards to epic battles, Hollywood glamour, musical score, and star power...it is by far more accurate of the two. Problems with the 2004 version are: 1. The Battle of the Alamo is too well-known; 2. The revisionism is too watered down to really offer anything new; and 3. The battle scenes needed more blood and violence to show how vicious the hand-to-hand combat battles truly were. I had heard that the third reason was why Ron Howard actually stepped away as a director. Disney had gotten nervous over the boldness of the original vision of the 2004 film and opted to make a movie accessible to teens and to avoid a lot of controversy. As a result, the 2004 adaptation failed at the box-office despite it still being a good film. Billy Bob Thornton, though he lacks the charisma of the real David Crockett (or John Wayne for that matter), still gives a strong performance as a brave man quietly struggling to live up to his "Superhero" persona. Patrick Wilson is excellent as Col. William Barrett Travis (which happens to be my favorite Alamo hero). Although Jason Patric is miscast as Jim Bowie, he's not as miscast as Richard Widmark was in the John Wayne version. Patric, despite his lacking the kind of screen presence needed for playing a larger-than-life character, still has a few strong moments. Overall, this is a noble entry with mildly disjointed plot twists (due to possible script revisions). The Alamo also can come across as a little draggy and repetitive at brief intervals as it tries to give the old Spanish mission its due. And although the battles scenes are still thrilling, it needed to show the horrors of war a little more graphically in order to accentuate the bold decisions leading up to March 6, 1836.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/26/23

Full Review

Michael W

As with any historical movie, there are going to be some inconsistencies. The acting was, of course, a bit more dramatic than necessary, but I believe the spirit of the characters was portrayed correctly. It's not 'Tombstone' accurate, and it's not 'La La Land' acting, but this is a great movie if you're a Texan. B+

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/13/23

Full Review

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John Lee Hancock

Director

Dennis Quaid

Gen. Sam Houston

Billy Bob Thornton

Davy Crockett

Jason Patric

James Bowie

Patrick Wilson

Col. William Barrett Travis

Jordi Mollà

Juan Seguin

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Doesn't work despite Thornton's top performance.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 9, 2010

Full Review

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

Rated: B+

Oct 29, 2008

Full Review

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Laborious mush.

May 3, 2005

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)

A big, lumbering, unwieldy epic that creaks and groans from speech to battle.

Rated: 1.5/4

Jun 5, 2019

Full Review

Kevin Carr

Fat Guys at the Movies

Something was missing from the film. It lacked punch.

Rated: 2.5/5

Feb 4, 2015

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: C

Oct 3, 2012

Full Review

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Synopsis

In 1836 Gen. Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid) organizes a rebel army to liberate Texas from the brutal rule of Mexican dictator General Santa Anna (Emilio Echevarría). Though vastly outnumbered, Gen. Houston's volunteer army includes such folkloric figures as Jim Bowie (Jason Patric) and Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton). As Santa Anna's forces advance on San Antonio, the legendary general and his men prepare for a final heroic standoff at a battle-worn mission called the Alamo.

Director: John Lee Hancock
Screenwriter: Leslie Bohem, Stephen Gaghan, John Lee Hancock
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Imagine Entertainment, Touchstone Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Sustained Battle Sequences)
Genre: War, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 27, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $22.4M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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