Rating: 
Summary: Crowe can't save this ponderous screenplay
Review: Any action adventure film starring Russell Crowe has a head start coming out of the gate. Unfortunately the film is hamstrung by a weak screenplay, vapid dialogue and mediocre performances by the some of the cast.Director Taylor Hackford ("Officer and a Gentleman", "Devil's Advocate") has difficulty keeping the story interesting despite some great locations and photography, and other than Crowe and Caruso, he is unable to get the cast revved. We are not given enough reason to care about Peter Bowman's (David Morse) rescue for two reasons: Bowman is not a particularly attractive character and Alice Bowman (Meg Ryan) seems clearly ambivalent about her husband. This leaves the viewer with the hope that Bowman gets snuffed by the terrorists so Terry (Russell Crowe) can run off with Alice. Of course, that would leave Crowe without a search and rescue mission and there isn't much point having him in the film without the commando scenes. So the story just limps along without much verve, toward an ending that is predestined to be unfulfilling due to the screenplay's flawed design. Hackford is successful at creating some very effective suspense, but digresses into useless character development of the terrorists (who everyone knows will be bullet magnets by the end of the film). Many of the scenes with Bowman and the terrorists are laughable. I couldn't count the times that he provoked them to the point that any reasonable terrorist (how's that for an oxymoron?) would have riddled him with bullets and moved on to another ransom deal. The acting falls into two categories, excellent and mediocre. In the excellent category we have Crowe and Caruso. Russell Crowe keeps getting better at playing the tough guy with a heart. He single handedly keeps this film from imploding under the weight of the ponderous script. He comes across as smart, tough and sympathetic, which is a tricky combination. David Caruso delivers the hard as nails character for which he is famous, which is exactly perfect for his role in this film. And then there is Meg Ryan. Ryan is really out of her element playing a straight dramatic role like this. She doesn't seem to take her character seriously. She plays her cavalierly, more like a spoiled brat than a woman buckling under the pressure of a six month hostage ordeal. It is hard to believe that she actually dated Russell Crowe given the complete lack of chemistry they display on the screen. Ryan is a fabulous actor in the right role, namely romantic comedy. She is naturally breezy and lovable, characteristics that impede her from succeeding in more serious roles. She is miscast here, pure and simple. David Morse gives an uneven performance as Bowman, which is powerful at times and wooden at others. Morse is good in the tough guy scenes, but falters in scenes that require any depth or range outside that type. His acting is one dimensional and his character needs more complexity than he is able to deliver. Pamela Reed is abrasive and obnoxious as Bowman's sister. Her part is superfluous to begin with and Reed makes the film seem longer every time she has a line. Overall, this film is a disappointment except as a showcase for Crowe, whose stock keeps rising with each new film. I rated it a 6/10. It's not a total waste, but it could have been much better.
Rating:
Summary: Russell Crowe Is Best Part of Ho-Hum Movie
Review: I've read that director Taylor Hackford blames Crowe and Ryan's real life romance for ruining the box office on this film for its theatrical release. I've got news for him: what ruined this film is that it is not very well done and he can squarely lay that at his own door. However, you can really tell how good some actors are when you see them in a mediocre movie and they nevertheless manage to stand out and shine. There is such an actor in this movie and it is Russell Crowe. He is the hostage negotiator with kidnappers around the world for getting back the victims in exchange for a ransom. Typically, insurance taken out my major corporations covers both his fee and the ransom. He is very convincing in this role and you learn something about how such a person has to operate to get the job done. The rest of the movie just plods along though. Meg Ryan mainly cries and gets upset over her husband's loss. She's had better roles. This may have been her swan song...[T]hey are both forced to act noble throughout since her husband has been kidnapped. This movie may have been a heck of a lot better if they had been allowed to act with a lot less nobility in the movie instead. Put them in an affair while the husband is being held hostage and I, for one, would have been more glued to the screen.
Rating: 
Summary: Great depiction!
Review: This movie shows, quite terrifyingly, K&R. That's Kidnap and Ransom. The director had to have spent countless hours doing research on just about every single detail and thing possible. It depicts the life of the family of a man who has been kidnapped in South America. It does a great job at showing the emotions of the family, kidnappers, negotiator, and the main victim. It shows the process to get that family member back alive. Underated very much by critiques and by others when it was out in the box office.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely Worth a Look
Review: I remember seeing the preview for "Proof of Life" and thinking that it was going to be a shallow, pyrotechnic disaster. However, some positive reviews (coupled with the off-screen hype surrounding Russel Crowe and Meg Ryan) got me to the theater. I couldn't have been more happily surprised. The characters, especially those portrayed by Crowe, Ryan, and David Morse, are exceptionally developed and believable. The hostage situation does not seem contrived or over-done like one might expect from the plethora of mass-produced action garbage that dominates Hollywood. The emotional bond that quickly grows between the characters played by Crowe and Ryan is also very convincing. The basic story of "Proof of Life" is frequently compared to "Casablanca," but try not to let that comparison dominate your perceptin of this movie. "Proof of Life" stands on its own two feet as intelligent entertainment whose aim should be to solely entertain. On that level, this film succeeds.
Rating:
Summary: Only Ecuador fans will love this...
Review: for getting the most fantastic landscape filming ever made in that country. Unfortunately in cinema you have to wait until the end to see those andean flybys. Now on DVD youll get a chance to skip by that unfinished movie that precedes this interesting part. Only the "action"-part of the film was well developed but went a bit too smooth. The "relationship"-part was either underdeveloped by a lazy scriptwriter or had to leave its life on the editing table. The tensionline of the protagonist's emotions is just a flatliner with a short spike. Nevertheless I'll buy that DVD just so the cameraman can eat...
Rating:
Summary: The movie is okay...
Review: the movie was okay, but a part of me knows that this could have been a great movie, if it had a better script or a better director. But the cast was great. There didn't seem to be much on this DVD as far as the special features goes.
Rating:
Summary: Succeeds as an action film, fails as anything else
Review: Someone please explain to me why Meg Ryan was cast for this film. For an action movie, Russell Crowe is a natural choice, even though he's playing a less brutal role here than he usually does. But Meg Ryan? Generally she works best in romantic comedies, and while there's no comedy in Proof of Life, the screenwriters do attempt to insert some romance here... which leads to the major downfall of this movie-- romance has no place in this action film. Why is this? Well, for one thing, Meg Ryan's character is married. For another thing, Russell Crowe's character is married. And the movie gives us little indication that, overall, either of these two characters are unhappy with their marriages. On the contrary, Russell Crowe's character is shown to be unhappy that his job sends him away from home-- a plot vein that is quickly cut and discarded in order to put his character together with Meg Ryan for the rest of the movie, whether it makes sense or not. Russell Crowe plays Terry Thorne, prime-time hostage negotiator sent in to manage the case of Peter Bowman (David Morse), an oil executive abducted by a South American terrorist faction. When Bowman's employer divests itself of him following his abduction and the ensuing ransom, Terry's job is done and he returns home. What follows is one of the most inexplicably ridiculous plot devices I've ever seen, and if not for it (and a contrived Ryan/Crowe scene later in the film), Proof of Life would have been rated higher. This is an entertaining film with a good bit of action. It's suspenseful, the direction is effective, and the soundtrack is very good. The DVD is a no-frills package unlike Crowe's previous film, but the quality is good in terms of both audio and video. But far too much of this storyline makes far too little real sense for me to recommend that you purchase this DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Action Movie
Review: I would recommend this movie to anyone who has an interest in south america, especially the kidnapping/drug issues which engulf some south american nations. The director modeled the movie after realistic situations that happen daily but americans pay no mind to. This is phenomenal movie filled with beautiful scenery and a great story. The only downside is the romantic story line between crowe and ryan which takes away from the film's main objectives. The movie is still great and definitely worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: Bitter-sweet drama
Review: Meg Ryan again proves to be more than a comic actress. Russell Crowe and the supporting cast, Caruso and Morse are also excellent. This movie is exciting, well acted, and has beautiful scenery. Anyone looking for an adventure fantasy can skip this one but if your interest lies in a realistic look at current events, mixed with emotion and internal conflict, buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Ryan and Crowe Bring The Plot and Action to Life
Review: I truly think that this movie has been underated by so many people. People heard it was going to be a hot steamy flick between Crowe and Ryan, but were then dissapointed when it wasn't. The acting is superb, contrary to what many people say about Meg Ryan. I'll admit, this is not her best role ever, which I would credit to Courage Under Fire, as small of a role as it was. Ryan still does a great job. Too many people have seen Ryan in the romantic comedies and have connected her with those type of movies. Now that she does something different, everyone gets mad and says she is horrible. Wake up people, her character is not some tough girl or sweet lady to smooch on. Crowe is also very impressive. His tough guy character is revived from Gladiator and he fits the role well. Anyone who rated this movie low needs to watch it again and realize how awesome the cinametography is and how well the plot is built all the way until the dramatic ending. Which by the way is one of the best military/war/action sequences I have ever seen. Some people need to stop complaining about a love story between Crowe and Ryan because there is none. So they kiss once and give each other sweet looks but that is so minimal in this movie that it is not important. The kiss was more of a friendly goodbye/thank you kiss than anything. Overall, I really loved the movie and I truly believe it is extremely underated. Ratings: 1-5 (highest/A Lot of) Action-3 Sex-1 Plot-5 Acting-5 Cinametography-5 Script-4
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