The Alamo

Release Year: 1960

Director: John Wayne

Review: 'The Alamo' is a true western.  I mean that in the worst possible way.  I'm not a fan of the genre, so for me to enjoy a western it has to transcend the genre in someway and this one is by the books.   John Wayne had a huge budget and spent a couple years in production, but ultimately fails to make the epic battle anything more than a weary ego trip.  The stakes for the battle are never built up.  There are plenty of long winded, heavy, and passionate speeches, but they were just crammed in with no real justification.  They were there simply as a cheap ploy to build emotion, but they did not land and as a result I was not invested in the men defending the Alamo, completely missing the point of why the battle at the Alamo is an endearing . In a character driven war tale, the characters were muffled, disconnected and, despite a plethora of interesting historic personalities, pretty dull.  It was as true fifty years ago as it is today. Just throwing money and time in a picture doesn't make it interesting.  Being elaborate for the sake of being elaborate doesn't make for compelling cinema.  In a film that should inspire passion for those that gave their lives at the Alamo I was left feeling bored.  The cries may be to "Remember of the Alamo", but watching this just made me want to forget it, or at least this representation of it.
Rating: 1/5