Proof of Life
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Movie Reviews of Proof of Life
Movie Review: Action, Ideas, and Doing the Right Thing
Summary: 4 Stars
Terry Thorne (Russel Crowe), a kidnap and ransom negotiator for an insurance company, is sent to the country of Tecala in South America to negotiate the release of engineer Peter Bowman (David Morse). The insurance is canceled, as well as the negotiation, but Peter's wife Alice (Meg Ryan) asks Terry to help and they both have to cope with their growing attraction as they work together.
Taylor Hackford's film is doubly courageous and unique:
First, it addresses the idea of private rescue, both business and personal, in an age when most people look to the state for protection from criminals. Proof of Life not only illustrates the business aspect of private rescue (through an insurance company), but the idea that personal action of rescue can come from the the heart. Some reviewers try to include the state as a player by mentioning that the kidnapers are antigovernment and that Thorne once worked for a government.
Second, the movie illustrates doing the right thing (though perhaps after stepping over the line depending on how the viewer interprets one scene).
This is rated R and the foul language and profanity are very bad. The language issue makes it hard to share the movie with others. I considered dropping a star, but because of the above two points did not.
Action and ideas in a very good movie.
Movie Review: A thinker's action movie
Summary: 4 Stars
Proof of Life is a good film that has been greatly over-shadowed (or destroyed) by the Hollywood pseudo-moral standards on its co-stars real life romance. And that is unfortunate. The story is good, which has good balance of action and human elements. The acting is excellent. You can trust Russell Crowe in any movies; he will never let you down. And as a happy surprise, after reading so many critics that bashing Meg Ryan, in this movie, Meg Ryan has actually delivered an powerful performance. She comes out as a strong and mature woman who's going through crisis and tries to get out from the bottom of her life in one piece. No trace can be found of the cuteness she usually carries with her in other movies, and there are no showing of melodramatic moments, neither. David Morse has given a solid performance as the husband under hostage that really deserves more recognition he was given. And the supporting actors are also very good. As the director said "this is a thinker's action movie". It throws a lot of questions on you: marriage crisis, in-laws problems (jealous sister in-law), life crisis, unattainable love; how will each character deal with it with the dignity and sense of honor? How will you deal with it if it happens to you? This is a good movie that makes you think.Movie Review: Gripping action sequences
Summary: 4 Stars
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.Movie Review: Good movie, beautiful ending...
Summary: 4 Stars
There are a lot of things in this movie that are worth noting. However, I could not help but pay most my attention to the two leading actors. Simply put it this way: Russell Crowe excelled. Meg Ryan was beautiful. Crowe's `last look' scene at the end of the movie was so convincing that almost felt like it was his true feeling. I started to hope that Terry and Alice would end up together. In the movie, they looked very cute together. Meg looked extraordinary beautiful and feminine when she was paired with Russell. I have never seen this side of her in any of her other pictures. You could say that she was pretty, cute, bright and a bit tomboyish but never this feminine. It was apparent that Russell has brought that feminine side out of her. They got good chemistry together. They could form a team as equally attractive as Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney in 'one fine day' if and only if they would stay that way *just* for the movies - so we could see more of their performance together. What has happened to them in real life now is really a bad news for us moviegoers.Movie Review: Proof of Life
Summary: 4 Stars
Terry Thorne (Russell Crowe) is a kidnap and ransom expert. His job is to negotiate the release of hostages and if necessary retrieve them. In a small South American country of Tecala a buisness man (David Morse) is kidnapped. His wife Alice (Meg Ryan) turns to Thorne for help. The captors ask for three million for his release. In the months that follow Terry must not only negotiate with the terrorist's but deal with his own feelings toward Alice.Before watching this film I had no idea K&R was a billion dollar a year industry. Listen to the commentary it's real informative. The movie shows not only the hell a kidnapped person goes threw but his familys as well. This film gets off to a good start, then drags a bit in the middle but has a great finish. The rescue operation was just awesome. I really liked Russell Crowe and David Caruso's characters. I would love to see a sequel with these characters negotiating another ransom. The DVD contains a documentary, commentary and theatrical trailer. The film is presented in widescreen and DD 5.1 surround.