Proof Of Life (2000)

2 out of 4

Starring: Russell Crowe, Meg Ryan, David Morse, Pamela Reed, David Caruso

Director: Taylor Hackford

Time: 135 mins

Proof Of Life has earned a degree of notoriety by being the film where stars Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan began an affair that led to Ryan's separation from long-time husband Dennis Quaid. While that fling has now apparently been consigned to the footnote columns of trashy supermarket magazines, it's interesting to see whether there was any sign of on-screen chemistry between the two lovebirds during filming. The answer, unfortunately, is a resounding no. While the romantic entanglement between Crowe and Ryan's characters is not really the point of the film (and thankfully isn't developed into a mushy part of the plot), the film itself fails to generate any considerable sizzle until the final twenty minutes. The first hour is surprisingly watchable, but the script then seems undecided about whether to develop the romantic angle or the thriller angle, and the second half of the movie dawdles because of this. Ultimately, the script ditches the romance and wraps it all up with an action finale that, in all honesty, could have occurred twenty minutes or more earlier.

Peter Bowman (David Morse) and his wife Alice (Ryan) are living in the South American city of Tecala while Peter is working as an engineer on a local dam project. When Peter is captured by a group of rebel guerillas, Terry Thorne (Crowe), an expert in kidnap-and-rescue situations, is called in to help. While initially the negotiation process brings a ray of hope for Alice and Peter's sister Janis Goodman (Pamela Reed), Terry eventually realises more direct action might be needed. The trouble is, Terry and Alice are starting to fall for each other.

The kidnap of Peter Bowman and his subsequent, harrowing journey to the guerillas' hillside hideout is quite riveting. There could have been an interesting subplot about Peter and a kind-hearted female guerilla, but it is surprisingly not explored any further. The contrasting scenes, of Alice, Terry and the negotiations, are less intriguing, but would still have been fine had the filmmakers not dragged the negotiation process on and on and on while they tried to ignite some sparks between Crowe and Ryan. The lack of chemistry between the two stars is then resolved by an all-action climax that is tense but comes too late.

The lack of on-screen sizzle is not surprising. Crowe is a good actor, but he excels in brooding, moody roles like that of Maximus in last year's Gladiator, rather than as romantic types. He repeats his dosage of brooding moodiness here, though his "down under" accent is not required to be curtailed because Terry Thorne is actually an Australian (!). Ryan, that frequent ingredient of sweet-natured romantic comedies like When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless In Seattle, has previously shown that she can act in hard-hitting dramas such as Courage Under Fire (1996). Here she struggles between trying to project the usual sweet Ryan persona and a woman who's supposed to be tough and strong for her husband. It doesn't quite come off. The reliable David Morse (Contact, The Green Mile) is again very good as Peter Bowman, especially for what appears to be a fairly physical shoot. He conveys the terror, the fear, and the urge to escape and go home quite convincingly. Pamela Reed, who was funny as Arnold Schwarzenegger's partner in Kindergarten Cop (1990), is fairly nondescript here, conveniently making way for the supposed Crowe-Ryan romance midway through the film. David Caruso, nominee for the Worst Career Move Award (for when he quit TV show NYPD Blue at the height of his popularity, to try to become a movie star), has a small role as a fellow kidnap-and-rescue expert.

Taylor Hackford has previously directed a posse of sappy romantic dramas like An Officer And A Gentleman (1982) and Against All Odds (1984), as well as mediocre thrillers like White Nights (1985) and The Devil's Advocate (1997). Here he tries to combine romantic drama with the action thriller, but the result is still quite mediocre. A trim of twenty to thirty minutes would have made the film more efficient, but as it stands, Proof Of Life is overlong, overblown, and lacks a sorely needed spark.

(c) Joe Wong (28 February 2001)