Rating: 
Summary: Getting the Gun Stuff Right
Review: I've made my living since 1992 testing and evaluating guns, and writing articles for gun magazines. Gun people tend to loath most action movies, since they rarely get the technical details correct. Proof of Life is an exception to that rule.To start with, Proof of Life totally avoids one of my biggest pet peeves about guns in movies, what I call the "aiming indicator," that ka-chack! sound guns make every time they're aimed at anyone. The director and sound people obviously feel this is very dramatic, and says, "Hey! Someone is actually aiming a gun here!" In real life, guns don't do that. And they don't in Proof of Life, either. Terry Thorne's (Russell Crowe's) carry gun is a compact 1911 .45 auto (I'm morally certain it's a Kimber Ultra Compact, he said in full gun geek mode), a bit of an unusual choice for an ex-SAS guy. The SAS have traditionally been poster children for the Browning Hi-Power, and then transitioned over to the SIG P226. Granted, Terry's now a civilian so he can carry anything he wants (and at least the 1911 has much same manual of operations as the Hi-Power) but it's not a situation where you instantly look at the gun the character's carrying and say, "Ah yes, these people got it right." But hang in there, good stuff is to come. When Terry finds Peter in the base camp, he gives him his 1911 for protection, telling him, "Okay, here's the safety, up is Safe, down is Fire." This is totally correct. Later, Peter tries to shoot a terrorist who's threatening Terry but can't make the gun fire. After Terry deals with the bad guy, he walks up to Peter, reaches around to the side of the gun, flicks off the thumb safety, and says, "Now the safety's off." Excellent! What a pleasure to see a scene in a Hollywood movie revolve around a decent knowledge of a gun's technical features. Later, Peter actually uses Terry's 1911 to save both their lives. He can do this because Terry's placed the gun off-Safe. We have sound effects for eight shots. Again, this is correct. This sort of gun does hold eight rounds. The only small goofs here I might point out are that we hear the sound of the eighth shot while the camera angle shows Peter from behind, and the gun's slide is already locked to the rear; obviously the piece is empty. This is a problem. Then a moment later, we transition to a face-on shot to see Peter's expression - and now the slide is forward. A little sloppy, but still small stuff compared to the overall excellence of the scene. In the firefight at the base camp, even one of the good guy team, with a far higher level of training than the bad guys, begins firing his assault rifle full auto. By contrast, Terry, ex-SAS, and Dino (David Caruso in fine form), ex-Delta Force, maintain fire discipline and fire their M4s in one- and two-shot bursts. In his director's commentary, Taylor Hackford mentions that Russell Crowe is very weapons knowledgeable, and had definite opinions on how he should handle his M4 in these scenes. It shows. One other small thing I truly enjoyed. There are two moments in the base camp firefight scene where we see people killed with knives. One of Dino's mercenaries has to use a knife on a guy, and his weapon is what we'd expect from Hollywood, a big, macho, serrated blade fighting knife. By contrast, watch Terry (Russell) do the same thing, notice what he uses: the knife blade from a Leatherman Tool. Low-key, no-BS, effective. What do you want to bet that little detail came from Russell Crowe, as well? Good job, Russell!
Rating:
Summary: The One Bad Thing
Review: Having raved about the excellent technical detail in this movie, I suppose I should also address the one thing - though it's not a gun fact - that's "fake." In the latter parts of the film, a para-military team sets out to rescue Peter Bowman (David Morse) from a terrorist base camp. The camo jobs the actors have on their faces, for anyone who's every been in the military, are kind of laughable. Most of them have only a few streaks of camo. Now, I understand the director, and actors, feel it's important we be able to see the expressions on the actors' faces, versus having them covered with real, useful, full-coverage camo jobs - but it's still silly. The purpose of facial camo is to break up the pattern of light and dark that says "human face" to any enemy who might glimpse it. The almost-not-there camo jobs on the actors' face in these scenes don't do that. The SAW gunner (played by a real-life West Point graduate) is the only one who actually has on full camo, but even then it's a series of light and dark stripes. This "tiger stripe" camo job, although it looks cool, is something my Army drill sergeants warned us against since it actually makes the face stand out MORE in the boonies. What you really want is to put light camo in the areas of the face that are normally shadowed (eye sockets, under the nose, under the chin), and dark camo on areas that normally reflect light (forehead, cheekbones, jawbone). Basically, a good woodland camo job makes you look like a green Halloween skull, but light where you'd expect dark and vice versa.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie
Review: this is a must see movie for all russell crowe and meg ryan fans. The story line is excellent the cast is great. This is one of russell crowe's best movie. I would recommend that those who have not seen or heard of this movie to buy it here on amazon. It's cheaper to buy this movie than to rent it at your local video store. If for some reason you don't enjoy it you can sell it. But I think you should watch this movie
Rating:
Summary: Great Mix of Action and Relationships
Review: This movie was just the perfect mix of action and romance for my entertainment tastes. Meg Ryan as Alice and her engineer husband Peter Bowman, played by David Morse, have traveled the world following one engineering job after another. They are currently stationed in a South American country when a local military faction kidnaps the engineer husband. He is taken to the cold, wet mountains to live with a bunch of druggy kids with guns protecting cocaine fields. While he is miserable, suffering innumerable discomforts, facing an uncertain future, Russell Crowe as Terry plays the part of the kidnap and ransom expert who spends mucho time with Alice handling the rescue. There is a great cast of supporting actors including the unlikable head of the company played beautifully by Anthony Healed, David Caruso as a fellow kidnap and ransom expert and Pamela Reed as the obnoxious but eventually likeable sister of the victim. Even Goddfried John as the ex-legionnaire turned missionary who is a fellow kidnap victim turns in a great performance. I particularly enjoyed this movie because Alice has 2 awesome guys in love with her: strong capable protector and intellectual idealist, both damned good-looking, good men and both devoted to her. It might offend some that the rebels are not portrayed with broader political interests, but the foreign setting, the kidnap and ransom and the bursts of action made this a movie I really enjoyed. Some people might not like this movie because it isn't quite a romance, but it isn't totally action either. Also, the movie only suggests the depth of the relationship between Alice and Peter as well as Terry's personal demons. Just a tiny bit more on each would have made this movie even better.
Rating: 
Summary: Mom Was Right
Review: Decades ago, my mother used to say we should never know anything about a performer's personal life or opinions because that gets in the way of clear-eyed enjoyment or assessment of his or her work. When it comes to PROOF OF LIFE, that is notoriously the case. This movie deserves better than it got. It easily makes a place in that wide-open space in our culture for generally well-made entertainment that isn't gunning for awards. Inspired by actual circumstances, the story cuts back and forth between an American executive kidnapped in a South American country by a guerilla band hoping to ransom him for high stakes insurance dollars and the rescue efforts engaged by the man's wife and sister. The pacing is appropriately tense and sprite, and there are some embellishments and complications, not really whole subplots, that keep it varied and interesting. The rules of hostage holding and negotiation are not what one unfamiliar with such activity would expect. This action unfolds across a few months' time, and the filmmaker maintains suspense until the last. The dialogue is decent, the characters almost all filled out by strong direction and acting. Russell Crowe brings his usual level of commitment to his role as the leader of the rescue effort. David Caruso is fine as his back-up, and he has the most memorable line in the film. David Morse, as the role of the kidnapped executive requires, turns in a performance as weighty as Crowe's. Pamela Reed is enjoyably original as the abrasive sister-in-law, sort of a snapping terrier backing up Meg Ryan's vulnerable wife. I hated to see her character leave in the middle, though it made plot sense. Much criticism has been leveled at Ryan and I think the problem is that her role as written and directed is more ingénue-ish and thus, played off the more character-driven parts, it pales. Some of her comedic tics come through in a few spots, which the director should have corrected--the wave of the hand, the wag of the head, the loose gait. That said, she's not terrible and I can't think of anyone else at the moment who could have done much better with the material handed her. This is an intelligent action film. There is violence appropriate to the story line but the filmmaker does not indulge in gratuitous blood baths. Nor does he use nudity or profanity to replace visual interest or strong dialogue. No cop-outs here. The DVD is not overloaded with many features, and that's okay. We have enough extra features on THE LORD OF THE RINGS to last us until the DVD player dies.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping action sequences
Review: After several viewings I've got to say that I really enjoy watching this movie. Russel Crowe and David Caruso are great as K&R experts. David Morse is really outstanding in his portrayal of a kidnapped American engineer being held by a group of Latin American rebels. I have to agree with some others on this site that Meg Ryan's performance doesn't quite measure up to the others in this film but that didn't detract too much from the overall enjoyment for me. The action sequences are tense and well written. The South American setting is fantastic. One scene that stands out for me is When Crowe and Caruso bust in on a rival who is planning to defraud the distaught wife (Ryan) and her sister-in -law who are counting money and putting it into garbage bags as a payment for proof that the kidnap victim is alive. The final rescue scene will have you on the edge of your seat.Overall this is an interesting film on an unusual topic that is well acted (for the most part), well written, and well directed. If not for Ryan's mediocre emoting I would have given it a 5 star rating.
Rating:
Summary: Great Action Film
Review: Loved Ryan and Crowe in this outstanding action film. Kept me on the edge of my seat. I was especially happy to see that although Crowe and Ryan were dating at the time, they weren't lovers in this film. Crowe is always a great actor, and he didn't disappoint. Waiting for him to do a comedy though, since he always acts in serious roles.
Rating:
Summary: Proof of Life
Review: GREAT movie and VERY underrated. Truly makes you think. Russell and Meg are fantastic, and David Morse turns in a great performance as well. Absolutely fell in love with the Russell Crowe characterization of Terry Thorne - noble, compassionate, and torn by his feelings for a client.
Do yourself a favor and check it out!
Rating:
Summary: Subtelty as an Art Form
Review: When I initially watched Proof of Life I was a little disappointed. I thought that the romantic subplot between Russell Crowe's and Meg Ryan's characters was underdevelopped. However, when I watched it again, I realized that there was more to this movie and the romance than I saw during my first viewing. The romance and interaction between the two leads was subtle, but that lended itself to the story in ways that more obvious romantic moments would not have. Terry (Crowe) is a man that gets a lot done without wasting words. His feelings for Alice (Ryan) are obvious because the things he does not say are more important than the things he does say. Understated is the word to describe the relationship between Terry and Alice, but that does not mean it's portrayal is ineffective. In addition to excellent performances (espeically from Crowe and the supporting actors playing Dino and Peter - sorry, I can't remember their names at the moment) the action sequences are superb, and the insight into the relatively unheard of K&R business is unique. You don't find this information in any other films. I've heard Proof of Life referred to as "the thinking man's action movie" and I'd have to agree. It does make you think. It has subtlety down to an art form and uses subtext as a key to unlocking the relationship between Terry and Alice. On a side note, the DVD has a really interesting director's commentary. I am generally not a fan of direcor's commentary, but this one is very insightful and gives more information on K&R and the background of the story than could ever be put in a movie. In my opinion, the Director's Commentary is one of the highlights of the DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Makes You Feel Like You Are Watching A Tennis Game
Review: Proof of Life is a shapeless mess of a movie that can't make up its mind what it wants to be about. The action jumps back and forth so much it makes you feel like you are watching a tennis game. You could make a good movie about a woman whose husband has been kidnapped and the relationship between the woman and the negotiator who is trying to get her husband released. You could make a good movie about a man who has been kidnapped and the ordeal he experiences while being held for ransom by terrorists. Either one of these stories would be a good subject for a movie. Proof of Life tries to cover everything and it fails. There is no way one movie can do justice to both stories. I also had a huge problem with the relationship between Alice and Terry. The movie goes out of its way to convince us that Alice and Terry have romantic feelings for each other, but I never believed it. Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan have absolutely no chemistry together. Russell Crowe looks good and does the best he can with the role of Terry, but Meg Ryan is simply miscast as Alice, and I thought her performance was really bad.
|
