Rating: 
Summary: Proof that Russell Crowe is the best actor working today.
Review: Once again Russell Crowe follows a great movie role, Maximus in Gladiator, with a totally different persona that holds this movie together. Proof of Life is filled with nuanced moments that only Russell can deliver. While the action sequences are superb, the intimate moments are touchingly handled. Terry Thorne is definitely the man you'd want to be your negotiator if you were ever kidnapped. As always, you know how he's feeling and what he's thinking every moment. It's a pleasure to see Russell as the competent Australian that he is in real life. And the comedic moments promise good comedy roles in the future.Taylor Hackford uses his visual skills to great effect, giving us amazing high altitude shots and the intense atmosphere of the rain forest. As others have noted, be sure to stay for the credits, the soaring portrait of the Andean landscape is breathtaking. However, this film could have been very special if the romantic elements had been fully realized, ala Casablanca. We know Hackford removed the love scene after the previews, unfortunately with this we lost "Paris", the emotional center of this film. I enjoyed Morse and Caruso very much, but thought Meg Ryan didn't have enough dialogue to give us a well rounded character in Alice. Pamela Reed was fine as her sister in law. A good action/suspense film, more emotional exposition featuring the sizzle between the two stars would have raised this up at least two notches. Understanding the full nature of their relationship would have deepened the regret and loss at the end. This one will be a keeper on dvd, with the stunning visuals and good performances, but only if Hackford puts the love scene and remorse afterwards back in.
Rating:
Summary: Russell as Rambo
Review: Highly unappreciated by critics, I am rather fond of this movie. Although I'm not a Meg Ryan fan(does she intentionally play only dumb blondes?), Russell is quite a piece of eye candy throughout this movie. David Morse also puts in an excellent performance as Meg's kidnapped husband. I credit the release date for the movie's poor performance. It definately has the potential to be a blockbuster. Hearing Russell speak in his negative Australian accent is very nice. Although critics have decryed the only kiss between Russell and Meg as not making sense, her attraction to him seems subtle yet present. This guy is playing hero by rescuing her husband, he's being strong while she's falling apart, the way she pats him on the back...Although I agree with the critics in not understanding why Russell's character falls for her. Cant' wait to buy the DVD and I hope they include the deleted bedroom soon they cut out!
Rating:
Summary: Very Realistc
Review: Although it takes a little while to get rolling, this movie was surprisingly realistic. It was well done, and has a VERY tense scene near the end, which really makes the whole movie worth while.
Rating:
Summary: More intense than you'd think, with credible performances.
Review: Just when it seems like the action genre off moviemaking is about to be played, another movie comes out with a ridiculous plot, over-the-top characters who are unfamiliar with the situation, and suspenseful action sequences, some of which have nothing to do with the story at hand. "Proof of Life," starring Russell Crowe, Meg Ryan, and David Morse, jumps over all of these hurdles and manages to come out 90% unblemished. The story is unique and somewhat original, the characters are involving and intelligent, and there are no unneeded setpieces that clog up most other thrillers. In the (fictional) country of Tecala, located in Latin America, Alice and Peter Bowman live out their lives. Peter heads up the construction of a dam to stop the flooding of small towns; she is just basically his wife throughout the movie, never really having a job or doing anything except shopping at the local outdoor market for fresh food. On his way to work one day, Peter takes a shortcut on a low mountain road, which is blocked off by a traffic jam. Soon, masked men with machine guns start jumping out of the woods, and everyone is taken from their vehicles and put into covered trucks, transported to an unknown stronghold in the mountains. Their motive: the dam project was taken over by another company in order to build a running oil pipeline through the superstructure, therefore pissing off the rebels, who now hold these people in return for some heavy-duty money. Alice, learning of the kidnapping, employs the services of Terry Thorne, a former soldier who is now a kidnap-and-ranson negotiator for a firm that collects commissions for successful rescues. At first, he is hesitant to take the project, but later returns to it out of the goodness of his heart, despite his son that he has not spent any time with in months. He begins making contact with the kidnappers, bartering over the price that he must pay in order to receive a "proof of life," or solid confirmation that Peter is still alive. Soon, the show starts hitting too close to hom, and he realizes the only way he is going to rescue the man, and put to rest his yearning for Alice, is to find Peter and bring him back alive. The movie proves that it fits into the suspense/thriller genre, even if it does fall a little short on its action sequences. Bowman's kidnapping and constant transfers across the mountains keep the tension building, and when he starts to yell and demand things of his captors, there is an incredible degree of intensity where the roles of preditor and prey are switched. This will prove to be one of the most thrilling moments of the movie; after that, the suspense does drop a few degrees to allow for the development of each character's attitude and emotion. Another good aspect of the film is the minute yet unignorable spark of interest between Alice and Terry. Alice does not think anything more of him than the fact that he is the man who is helping her get her husband back. Terry, however, begins to develop feelings for her through the remorse he feels over her situation, and there are moments where you can see it in him that he just wishes to reach out and console her. This is where screenwriter Tony Gilroy and director Taylor Hackford are able to play on Alice's emotions; we know that she is moved by his feelings once they are revealed in the film, and whether or not she will do anything about them lets down on the emotion we feel for her, shifting that focus onto her captive husband. The actors cast for this film all have a wonderful chemistry whne onscreen, whether it be romantic or moving. Russell Crowe is the perfect choice for agent Thorne. He is able to play out each move of his character, and each line of dialogue, with an elevated level of authenticity and believability. Meg Ryan, as usual, sparkles in her role of Alice Bowman, shifting from the supportive wife to the emotional would-be widow. In this kind of movie, you would expect Alice to become disheartened and overly emotional in the crucial moments of the film. Instead, the film gives Ryan a chance to play her character as powerful and with an emotion that reaches over sadness for strength and determination. It is David Morse, who plays Peter Bowman, that is the truly impacting character of the entire story. His performances, especially in the scene of conflict with his captor, make him the character to pull for in the end. By the time the action truly sets in, all you will want is to see him make it out alive and reunite with his wife, whom he truly loves. While the suspense does tend to fall out in certain moments, it does not ruin the overall impact "Proof of Life" has to offer its viewers. Everything falls into place at the right time: the action, the budding yet doomed "romance" between Thorne and Alice, and the struggle of a man to simply make it in one of the most extreme situations imagineable. A very nice action thriller for fans of the stars involved and those looking for intensity and excitement.
Rating: 
Summary: Russell Crowe does Steve McQueen
Review: In some countries, kidnapping has become a lucrative commercial enterprise. And when an American engineer (David Morse, 'The Green Mile') is taken by South American guerrillas, his wife (Meg Ryan) turns to the pros. Russell Crowe plays Terry Thorne, the kind of no-nonsense professional that Steve McQueen made a career out of. He's a hostage negotiator with K & R Consulting (Kidnap and Return) who quickly develops a soft spot for Meg Ryan (wouldn't you?) and stays on her case even after the insurance company footing the bill pulls out. The action is pretty good and all the leads handle it competently, but Ryan seems miscast. There's a good bit of double crossing to keep you guessing and the climax delivers a nice tight action sequence, but it's not the kind of film you'll remember long after it's gone.
Rating:
Summary: Good Drama
Review: The inherent dangers of living in a country in which political agendas have been compromised, and where wealth takes precedence over integrity, are made brutally clear to an American engineer who takes a job in South America, only to become the victim of a kidnapping for ransom in "Proof Of Life," directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan. Peter Bowman (David Morse) is hired by an oil company to build a dam that will facilitate the construction of a pipeline, but is kidnapped at random by a band of guerrillas whose political agenda has long since given way to the more lucrative business of terrorism purely for the sake of capital gains. When it happens, the London based insurance company whose business it is to underwrite conglomerates around the world to cover this particular kind of situation sends in it's "K&R" (Kidnap and ransom) man, Terry Thorne (Crowe), to negotiate the release of Bowman. And it quickly becomes a game in which most of the participants, including Bowman's wife, Alice (Ryan), would rather not participate; the catch is, you play the game, or one of the principles involved-- in this case Peter Bowman-- dies. Hackford's drama examines what it is like to face the reality of a situation over which you have neither experience nor control, and looks at it from the perspective of the victim, as well as that of those dealing with it on the other end. How does one respond to the kind of circumstances previously known only from news reports and movies, the things that only happen to others, but never to you. What would it be like to have to put your life, or the life of a loved one (as in this case), in the hands of a total stranger? It's thought provoking, sobering material that drives home the rather tentative state of the world in which we live. Crowe turns in a dynamic performance here as Thorne, the professional negotiator who of necessity forms a strong bond with the wife of the man whose freedom he is attempting to secure, and he very subtly keeps the conflict within him apparent, while maintaining the integrity of the character on the surface. A terrifically expressive actor, Crowe credibly conveys the complexity of his situation while exhibiting a stoic exterior strength, and it's his ability to give depth (aided in no small part by his magnetic screen presence) to what could easily have been a one-dimensional character that makes him believable, and makes Thorne memorable. Meg Ryan lends emotional depth to Alice, though it's not a part that realizes nor utilizes the best of her abilities as an actress. She does manage to bring some insight to the character, mainly through allusions to recent events in her life, though because of the story she is necessarily kept in the present and concerned with the immediate situation. The relationship between Thorne and Alice is handled delicately and quite skillfully; that there would be a mutual attraction between them is believable, given the lack of intimacy in Thorne's life (which is succinctly established) and the emotional needs of Alice's current condition. The impropriety of any possible relationship at this juncture is never verbalized but is entirely understood; and that Hackford never gives in to the temptation of sensationalizing their feelings for one another is significant, in that it ultimately heightens the emotional impact of the climax. David Morse gives an accomplished performance as Peter Bowman, with his emotional development over the length of his captivity especially well expressed and realized, and he is responsible for many of the very "real" moments throughout the film. His reactions during the kidnapping sequence, for instance, give it an added intensity that make it all the more believable. In a smaller role, David Caruso (Dino) gives a passable performance, but can do little more than create a character that is, in essence, a shallow imitation of Thorne (which makes you appreciate Crowe's performance all the more). Hackford has an eye for detail and tells his story with a very deliberate pace and includes some stunningly expansive visual shots, but allows the overall intensity to wane a bit, which somewhat mitigates the emotional involvement of the audience, though the drama remains intact. In the end, however, "Proof Of Life" is tightly wound and delivered and will hold your interest while bringing you face to face with just how fragile life can be; powerful food for thought that refuses to let you off the hook even as you leave the theater or click off the video.
Rating: 
Summary: Not What I Expected
Review: I was excited to see this film for two reasons one Russell Crowe's Incredible acting ablity and to see if he and real life new flame Meg Ryan have as much chemistry in the film as they do in real life. Crowe's acting is the only thing keeping this film alive, as for the chemistry between the leads fails misrably as does the whole film. The storyline goes as this Alice Bowman (Ryan) has her life turned upside down when her husbend Peter(Morse)is kidnapped by latin american terroirsts and is held for ransom. In comes Well Groomed Well Spoken Terry Thorn(Crowe) Hostage Negotioatior Extroidinare comes to Help Alice trying to negotiate a deal to save her husbend's life. David Caruso's performence as the hungrey for blood mercernary is a standout but it looks like David regrets making the big mistake of his carrer leaving TV'S NYPD BLUE for a career in Hollywood. Meg Ryan's Chracter was too unsympatheic considering her husbend has just been kidnapped, i mean show some human emotion after all she's suspossed to be an actor. It looked like Ryan would rather be anywhere in the world with her new beau Russell Crowe then be in this film. David Morse Did a very good job in playing the prisoner of war and made this rather slow, prolonging film a little more watchable. Russell Crowe wasn't much in full swing as he was in his past films like THE INSIDER & L.A CONFIDENTAL. His chracter wasn't fully defined or explained it seemed like all the director Cared for was that Hollywood's Hottest Couple Will be in the same move together it didn't work. The film wandered endlessly back and forth it didn't concentrate on story enough and that made it hard to follow.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Movie of the Year!
Review: I saw it the first day it came out, since Russell Crowe is the star and he was awesome in Gladiator, so I figured that POL would be just as good. I was right! POL is not exactly an action movie, yet not exactly a drama either. I suppose one could compare it to Heat, which is a mixture of both. POL is sparsely seasoned with action, but in those scenes, the suspense and violence and heroics are some of the best ever portrayed by anyone in any movie ever. The drama, too, is just right, and is quite believable. Crowe's performance is perfect--as always, Meg Ryan does a pretty good job, and her husband in the movie--you know, the guy from The Rock, Ed Harris' righthand man--does a great job of being a long-term hostage. Another great attribute of the film are the stunning aerial shots during the end credits. As a matter of fact, I don't think that more than one or two scenes had any computer-generated imagery in them--ninety-eight percent of the movie was composed of real footage. (That tells you that it's not a B-rated action flick, since they always try to hide their massive plot flaws with computer images that look good but mean nothing.) If you are a strict action-buff, then you probably won't like anything but the action, but if you like action and drama in proper proportion to one another, then you must see this movie!
Rating:
Summary: Hate It!
Review: An American engineer in a Latin American country is captured by anti-government forces. When the rebels learn his identity they demand $3 million for his safe return. Peter's wife Aliceretains the services of freelance professional hostage negotiator Terry Thorne. Terry mounts a bold operation to rescue Peter that could as easily result in disaster as in triumph.
Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Mix of Drama and Action
Review: I didn't really know what to expect from this movie. I had heard that it was a romantic drama. I had also heard that this movie was strictly an action. I didn't know what to believe. Proof of Life stars Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe, David Morse, and David Caruso. Ryan plays Alice Bowman, a horrified wife who is trying to save her kidnapped husband from a band of South American terrorists. Crowe plays Terry Thorne, the designated KNR (kidnap and rescue) consultant who is trying to negotiate the ransom of Morse. The movie is a compilation of drama and action, with a hint of romance between the two main characters. It's a rather good story with semi-good acting by Crowe and Ryan. What really surprised me about this movie was the great acting by David Morse and David Caruso. It was an interesting sight to see Morse's character go from a very clean shaven human being to a hardened survivor. Caruso adds a bit of comedy to this movie and plays Crowe's friend and also doubles as another KNR consultant. Usually Caruso gets stuck with a bad roll, but in this movie he really shines and shows his true acting capability. I enjoyed this movie mainly beacuse of the gripping and intersting story it showed. After watching it, one can imagine the horror of being abducted. I highly recommend this movie.
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