SpuffyWeb
Sadly Over-hyped
Greenes
Please don't spend money on this.
Mjeteconer
Just perfect...
SeeQuant
Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
SixtusXLIV
John Wayne was not born to be a Director. and it shows. I don't know if and why he did not proposed this to his friend John Ford. Maybe he did, and Ford rejected. John Wayne projected himself as the Gallant hero in some scenes with a beautiful Mexican widow. He then sends her to safety, without even a kiss. This love story ends there. For the major part the plot is faithful to History. But at the end, the horror actions that Santa Ana's troops committed, is not shown. War is rarely pictured in Hollywood movies. But in this case John Wayne did it as he wanted. After all, he was also the Producer. The music is also Romantic. This movie should have been directed by Sam Peckinpah.
SnoopyStyle
It's 1836. Generalissimo Santa Anna is sweeping north across Mexico and the settlers rise up to oppose his tyrannical rule. General Sam Houston needs time to organize his men. He orders Colonel William Travis (Laurence Harvey) to defend the small mission despite Travis' misgivings especially about Jim Bowie (Richard Widmark)'s drunkenness and ties to Spanish aristocracy. The two men don't get along as Bowie tries to explain their poor situation while Travis hides that he knows exactly how poor their situation truly is. Davy Crockett (John Wayne) arrives from Tennesee leading his men.It's a great opportunity for a grand war story. However it gets bog down by sentimentalism and traditional acting. John Wayne is worst of all playing his big character for all its worth. They even have singer Frankie Avalon as some kind of mascot teen heartthrob. Director John Wayne is making a part comedy and part romanticized sentimental war movie. It is full of idealism. It is too long. It's much too slow and takes far too long to get to some action. It has too much of John Wayne's touch. It is too light and not realistic enough. It plays best for lovers of traditional John Wayne. One can't deny that this is a massive movie. The grand scale of the Mexican army is impressive. The battles are well done when they come. It's the inbetween that I have some problems with.
sdquinn2-1
It is impossible for John Wayne to make a bad film. This is probably because he loves America so much and all of his films reflect this feeling. No one wants to see liberal crapola about hating America like Michael Moore makes. That being said, this is probably John Wayne's second most patriotic movie, the first being of course, "The Green Berets". This film is a faithful retelling of the siege of the Alamo, where 170 brave Americans held off an invading force of 3000 for 13 days to allow Sam Houston to regroup. I am sure everyone is aware of the narrative of the siege of the Alamo, but it has never been better told than here by John Wayne. God Bless John Wayne, may he rest is peace. There will never be another movie star that shines so brightly.
AaronCapenBanner
John Wayne both directs and stars in this recreation of the famous battle of the Alamo, where greatly outnumbered forces led by Col. William Travis(played by Laurence Harvey) are ordered by General Sam Houston to defend their Texas outpost in 1836, where the Mexican army under the command of General Santa Anna are rampaging. Joining them in support are Wayne as Davey Crockett, and Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie, who are uneasy allies, but vow to stay and assist until the end, even if it costs them their lives...Surprisingly mediocre film goes on far too long, with needless sundry subplots that drag. Though the climatic battle is exciting, it's not enough to save this disappointing film.
