Proof of Life ws just a tiny bit below satisfactory. Starring Russell Crowe (at least we aussies have one good actor) as the leading man and Meg Ryan (not so good and well not so aussie either lol) as the whiny leading lady the story had so much potential yet didn't really take off.
The story of a husband taken hostage by guerilla soldiers in a fictional south african area and the ex-militant (Crowe) sent over to negotiate with the kidnappers falling deeply in love with the hostage's wife(Meg Ryan) is well abit typical, unartistic, a movie for the sake of a movie. And I'm not saying movies for the sake of movies are bad, in fact sometimes entertainment for the sake of entertainment is exactly what we need. But the only fault is, it wasn't very entertaining.
Now I hate to bash up Meg Ryan but it has to be done, just warning any MR fans out there(actually I don't mind bashing up Ryan at all). The problem with this film was I was expecting more action but that's just me. Now usually in a film when there is no action there will be mystery or emotion. And when the substitute for action is in play I remain satisfied. But there was no mystery, there was no emotion. Seeing Meg Ryan sob once or twice isn't cinematic emotion. That's just annoying over-rated acting. It seemed everything came at the near end.
Spoilers from here on in...
In the end when Terry(Crowe) and his men head into the hills to rescue the hostages you've got them all geared up with guns and camouflage paint and it's like a three part cliche' sequence to me...
Phase 1.
There's that whole stealthy-hiding in the bushes-sniper-like scene.
Phase 2.
Then their cover is blown and it's all-out killing and running for their lives.
Phase 3.
Then finally it's all wrapped up with them all escaping to the helicopter then the cliche' moment where it looks like terry is about to die but the hostage(I'm sure by now you've realized I've forgotten his name) saves his life.
And that's the action sequence for the whole movie summed up in three easy steps.
But there has to be some emotion somewhere in the film? you ask. And I guess there is the slightest little smidgen of good emotion.
In the very last frame of the film.
When Alice(yes i finally remembered meg Ryan's character's name) is reunited with her husband she says goodbye to Terry and they know their love can never be *another cliche'* And as the married couple drive away Terry watches and pulls this great sad face. And as the sappy music plays the camera zooms out. Now it was a good "last-frame-face" but I'm not sure if Crowe was pulling it off in character or if he was pulling his "thank-god-this-is-over" face.
I'll let you decide.
And with that I'm giving it a
6 out of 10.
It was at times boring so it only really gets to 6 because the action scene at the end was very kick-ass and Russell Crowe looks sexy in military gear.
