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Proof of Life (2000) Warner Brothers Starring: Russell Crowe, Meg Ryan, Pamela Reed Music by: Danny Elfman Directed by: Taylor Hackford 
Proof of Life Rating:  
E-MAIL GIANCARLO DE LISI Director Taylor Hackford placed a large portion of the blame for the film’s dismal box office take on the relationship that spurred between Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe on the set of Proof of Life. I simply place the blame on a weak script and some ridiculous circumstances that happen during this film that matches its’ dismal box office. Taylor Hackford has made some terrific suspenseful films such as ‘Dolores Claiborne’ and ‘Devil’s Advocate’. Yet, in this film he does not know whether he is making a drama, an action film or a love story. This film runs into that regrettable situation of being everywhere and nowhere at once. It opens up with some great crosscutting sequences between Russell Crowe’s last assignment as a kidnap and ransom hostage negotiator and his briefing of that actual event to his superiors. At this point the audience is treated to a real gem of an action sequence that comes quite unexpected. Here we are introduced to what Russell Crowe exactly does, he rescues people from terrorists and demands a hefty salary at that. Yet, his next assignment will be his toughest as he must rescue a dam engineer from the clutches of South American terrorists. Furthermore, that engineer happens to be married to a lovely blonde played by Meg Ryan who just happens to cause a distraction for this otherwise focused individual. During this tense situation, Ryan and Crowe’s characters seem to have enough time to develop feelings for one another, and still maintain focus on their main objective. Now I am all for unrealistic situations when it comes to movies because in essence we go to the movies to escape reality – yet when it is so predictable and ridiculous as these situations that arise in this film, one tends to wonder. Although it is an interesting premise, the film seems to get boggled down in its’ unrealistic semantics concerning morality and simply ridiculous ‘what if???’ circumstances that can only happen in the movies. It seems as if Hackford wants to satisfy everyone in the audience by throwing in a couple of action sequences, and ultimately disappoints many people. In retrospect, the good points about this film come from not from the actual film directly. For one element, music composer Danny Elfman (Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow & all other Tim Burton films) scores a great sound for this film against the jungle backdrops and shows that he can use more than violins and bass when it comes to scoring films. And secondly, the DVD intro for this film to the tune of U2’s ‘End of the World’ teases the viewer into believing a great film is on its’ way. When the only great thing is the film’s look. Throughout this gloomy film, Hackford maintains his eye for the camera by filming a picturesque film against the backdrop of Latin America. Yet, look is not only necessary for a good film, but so does the story. Click here to comment on this review or post your own thoughts. Giancarlo De Lisi © TheWorldJournal.com |
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