Proof of Life Review
By Joe Lozito
Artificial "Life"
Russell Crowe is a rock. His Terry Thorne, the international kidnap and ransom negotiator who is the conflicted hero of "Proof of Life", is an instantly calming, trustworthy presence. It is immediately obvious why Alice Bowman (Meg Ryan), grief-stricken over the kidnapping of her husband, would turn to him for support. It is not obvious, however, why Thorne would fall in love with her.
Sure, Meg Ryan is cute. But her Alice Bowman is still the same flibbertigibbet that Ms. Ryan has been playing for what seems like decades now. Mr. Crowe's character is such a bastion of strength that a relationship between the two seems unlikely (ironic, considering their much-heralded off screen romance).
In a way, Mr. Crowe is both a blessing and a curse for the film. Since he is such a sure-footed presence, there is never a sense that he could fail in his mission to retrieve Alice's husband Peter (David Morse, undergoing a transformation of Tom Hanksian proportions). It also becomes tedious when Alice seems to continually doubt Thorne during his almost comically long negotiation process.
The failure of the film is not with its stars, however. It is simply that the script is poorly constructed and the characters under-written. The story is based on a Vanity Fair article, and the film almost seems to contain a collection of facts rather than a plot. The movie does not build to a climax as much as it plods through the daily trials of its characters. And still, Alice and Thorne are never given any real meaningful scenes in which they can bond.
The Director Tayler Hackford (The Devil's Advocate) is able, but should have asked for a few more rewrites before tackling this project. The few good character moments in the film come from supporting characters. Mr. Morse is befriended by an eccentric French hostage (Gottfried John) in his prison camp; David Caruso chews the scenery NYPD Blue-style as a fellow negotiator; and there's a nice subtlety in the relationship between Alice and her sister-in-law (Pamela Reed) - two women subconsciously vying for the title of most bereaved loved one. This relationship has exactly the nuance and flavor that is woefully missing from the rest of the film.
