'Allo! I'm not contributing to Ciao for the time being but if you are bored / desperate / weird enou...
'Allo! I'm not contributing to Ciao for the time being but if you are bored / desperate / weird enough to wish to continue to read my ramblings, you can find me on Dooyoo under the user name plipplop. See you around! :P
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Proof of Life was Russell Crowe’s first major cinema appearance following the hugely successful film Gladiator. In an attempt to try and establish Crowe as the latest Hollywood heart throb, this picture was intended to be an action thriller, with sizzling sexual chemistry between Crowe and his co-star Meg Ryan. Although this film is not the worst I have ever seen, I’m afraid the finished product falls rather short of what was promised – Proof of Life is mediocre at best.
Meg Ryan plays Alice Bowman the wife of an American engineer Peter Bowman, who is on secondment to South America to help the local population construct a dam. When Peter is kidnapped at gunpoint by local guerrillas, his unscrupulous employers admit that they have not paid up on employee insurance premiums and are therefore unable to pay for the services of a professional negotiator. Luckily, Bowman’s wife is able to enlist the services of Terry Thorne (played by Crowe) – an ex-army officer who is experienced
in such situations. With time running out, Thorne desperately struggles to negotiate with the kidnappers and return Peter to his wife – before his kidnappers decide he has outlived his usefulness…
Where Proof of Life goes wrong is that, with hindsight, considering the film runs for over two hours, its is extremely slow-paced throughout. I would like to credit the film-makers with some artistic licence here, as it is possible that the pace and length of the film are designed to reflect the arduous and time-consuming task of negotiating with the hostages, but somehow I don’t think this was the case. Proof of Life drifts from on scene to another in a casual, almost uncaring way that gives the impression both the actors and the directors had simply lost interest in the whole thing.
The film tries (and largely fails) to blend a number of elements, each of which may well have made a decent enough movie in its own rights. The kidnap plot is realistic and has a good sense of reality – probably due to the fact that the film was inspired by the autobiography of Thomas Hargrove ( a real-life kidnap victim) and a detailed article from Vanity Fair. You can tell that the role of the negotiator is well researched and the script certainly says the right things. Unfortunately, this is a side to the film which is criminally underused, offset instead with the growing feelings between Alice Bowman and Terry Thorne. Coupled with these two plots are sequences showing Peter Bowman’s treatment as a prisoner, his gradual attempts to escape and sporadic scenes of terrorism and political tension largely unrelated to the plot. The result is a film that seems to contain so much – and yet in hindsight contains very little. The film-makers would have done well to concentrate on one central theme, in order that they may develop their ideas properly. The pace and shifting nature of the film means that the viewer ultimately loses interest.
The action sequences within the film are surprisingly under stated – considering this film sits firmly within the thriller section at the video store don’t expect constant thrills and spills. Sequences which are focused upon heavily in cinematic trailers last barely a minute before you’re back to the dialogue between Crowe and Ryan. It’s not even as if the chemistry between Crowe and Ryan is at all engaging – Crowe looks permanently very bored and his deep Australian disinterest is completely out of joint with Ryan’s tearful, emotional display. The supporting cast don’t really help either. Pamela Reed plays Janis Goodman (Peter’s sister from the States) who starts off as the grumpy disapproving sister – and then sort of disappears back to the USA for no apparent reason and there is a cheesy backing crew of old army mates who turn up and help Thorne out rather like a personal A Team.
All this is a great shame, because there was so much that I would have liked to have like about this film. The South American scenery is breathtaking. The portrayal of political unrest is realistic and gritty and the terribly bleak lives of the guerrillas are a revelation in their own right. I also thought that Peter’s mad fellow prisoner was brilliant – and extremely convincing. The action sequences involving Peter’s capture, and the subsequent attempts to rescue him are both suspenseful and well directed. Unfortunately, the sum total of parts simply didn’t add up to two hours of gripping movie entertainment and I have to say that by the end of the film I was rather losing the will to live.
In summary, I would recommend this movie when it comes round to terrestrial TV, but probably not worth spending your hard earned cash on to rent out!
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: John Duigan - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Charlize Theron, Stuart Townsend, Penelope Cruz
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
An excellent, wonderfully comprehensive opinion- the first I've read on this film at that- I don't think I'll be seeing it! Cheers, Timmy.
NAZGUL 05.09.2001 03:50
I liked the review and i am not one for false gratitude so keep it up!!
Dave
jess0910 04.09.2001 20:44
A great, informative op, thanks! Sounds like the only thing that really buoyed this film up was the PR about Meg and Russ getting it on for real! - Jess x
Inspired by aVanity Fairarticle,Proof of Lifeis that rarest of Hollywood commodities: the ... more
exploration of an original idea. Kidnapping may have graced our screens in the likes ofRansom, but the revelatory material here exposes a billion dollar industry....
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Alice Bowman is world-travelled and savvy but nothing could prepare her for this. Rebels ... more
in a politically volatile Latin American country have kidnapped her husband for ransom. Meg Ryan plays Alice and Russell Crowe plays Terry Thorne the hostage re...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Stunning kidnap drama starring Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe.Alice Bowman is world-travelled ... more
and savvy but nothing could prepare her for this. Rebels in a politically volatile Latin American country have kidnapped her husband for ransom. The asking price:...
Inspired by aVanity Fairarticle,Proof of Lifeis that rarest of Hollywood commodities: the ... more
exploration of an original idea. Kidnapping may have graced our screens in the likes ofRansom, but the revelatory material here exposes a billion dollar industry....
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: David Caruso and David Morse are good, and the premise is good Disadvantages: Zero chemistry between Crowe and Ryan. Dull and unentertaining
Alex1226 03.03.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Proof Of Life (DVD)
![Proof Of Life [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78542101.jpg "Proof Of Life [DVD] [2001]")
Sep 4th, 2001
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