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The Alamo

Play trailer Poster for The Alamo PG-13 Released Mar 27, 2004 2h 17m War History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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29% Tomatometer 158 Reviews 46% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
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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The Alamo

The Alamo

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Critics Consensus

Too conventional and uninvolving to be memorable.

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Critics Reviews

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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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Luke S This is film is supremely unfairly judged by critics. The historical significance of the event is expertly portrayed with a large amount of care put into the attention to detail in the context of time and the actual battle itself. The characters are flawed and leave you confused on whether or not you should be rooting for them. These are slave owners. Liars and drunks. Davy (David) Crockett; a product of his own legend coming to terms that he is, in all reality, just a man. Jim Bowie; another living legend that is flawed, complicated, and haunted by his personal demons. And LtCol Travis; the man who is just trying to hold it all together because it's what he believes he was put there to do. They are generally products of their time and were in actuality people just like you and I. Every actor chosen conveys their role well. This film is a guilty pleasure of mine and still pulls emotion from me every single time I watch it. If you're looking for a "hollywoodesque" portrayal of one of the most famous last stands of all time; this isn't it. If you're looking for a deep dive into the history of the Battle of the Alamo, the complex men involved, the raw unfiltered sacrifice they made and a well researched play by play of the actual battle (they legitamately built a 1:1 scale replica of the Alamo as it was and the surrounding area for the film); this is your cup of tea. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/17/25 Full Review Audience Member for a 2004 movie, its one of the best of the times. one if the best Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/23/24 Full Review Bubba H Really amazing movie, one of the best movies to ever watch loved the build up the music the acting everything. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/28/24 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
The Alamo

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Movie Info

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
Producer
Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Mark Johnson
Screenwriter
Leslie Bohem, Stephen Gaghan, John Lee Hancock
Distributor
Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co
Touchstone Pictures, Imagine Entertainment
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
Runtime
2h 17m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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