unhand my wife, you swine.
 Sep 6th, 2001
Advantages:
Great acting and cinematography
Disadvantages:
Watching that cad, Crowe, at work
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to similar films?
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  robbroome
About me:
I'm desperately thinking of op's to write but my noggin feels like it's going to explode.
Member since:02.08.2001
Reviews:39
Members who trust:3
Review rated by 20 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
Proof of life is the latest film starring Russell Crowe (Gladiator, The Insider, LA Confidential) to be released on DVD. In it, he plays an Australian hostage retrieval expert, Terry Thorne. Our first encounter with Thorne is in a meeting with with his company's board members as he briefs them on his recent K+R (kidnap and ransom) case in Chechnya (I think that's how it's spelt).
Meanwhile, in Tecala, Ecuador, a local terrorist militia kidnaps an engineer, Paul Bowman (played by David Morse). Thorne is called to Ecuador to take charge of the case, this is where he meets Alice (Meg Ryan), the wife of the architect. When it transpires that the oil company that employed him has gone out of business, Thorne is forced to return to London. He returns, against his company's wishes, beginning a series of negotiations with the terrorists. Amidst all this a spark of attraction blossoms between Terry and Alice.
When it seems that negotiations have irreparably broken down, Terry and some fellow K+R experts go into the jungle to rescue the hostages by force. Luckily, Terry is a former member of the SAS. The action sequence isn't a particularly gung-ho affair with bullets flying all over the place and Crowe fighting an entire army, instead it adopts a lot more realism and the action is sparse and efficient which I prefer and is keeping in tone with the rest of the film. The acting in this is excellent. Crowe and Ryan do well in the lead roles, neither of them stealing limelight from the supporting cast. David Caruso and Pamela Reed both do well, but the real highlight of the film for me is the acting of David Morse, who is superb in this film. He is one of those actors who should be nominated for the best supporting actor at the Oscars every year due to the consistency of his work. Anyone who has seen The Green Mile' will testify to that. The directing and camerawork are both excellent as well with quality editing that keeps a steady pace and doesn't allow your interest to dip for the full 130 minutes. Top quality.
Now onto the DVD itself. It's presented in a ratio of 2.35:1 (Anamorphic) and the picture transfer is excellent, really allowing the cinematography to shine. It has good solid blacks, no noticeable rogue artifices and the colours are very clear and vibrant.
The Dolby 5.1 soundtrack is excellent, making full use of the systems potential, especially in the terrorist camp attack scene. There are also subtitles in English, Arabic, Romanian, Bulgarian and English for the hearing impaired. Surprisingly, for a Warner Bros. film, they've actually decided to include some extras. These include: -
* HBO First Look Documentary: The Making of Proof of Life A good making of, giving the cast and directors insights into the story and also showing the harsh conditions in which they had to film in.
* Trailer Does exactly what it says on the tin, and doesn't give too much away.
* Audio Commentary A commentary by director Taylor Hackford, for those of us who like this sort of thing. A very well done commentary.
* Scene Access The obligatory chapter menu. There are 37 in all.
I'd definitely recommend this movie to anybody. It's worth five stars but as a member of the Dennis Quaid appreciation society I feel it is my duty to dock it one star due to the shocking behaviour of the two leads. As we speak, scores of Hollywood husbands are buying chastity belts for their women! If you want any more information point your your browsers to the website at www.proofoflife.com
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![Proof Of Life [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78542101.jpg)
