The Alamo: History Lite

By Ted Baehr

There are some historical inaccuracies and some unnecessary obscenities in The Alamo, but this heroic tale is told in good faith and lifts up cardinal virtues.

CBN.com – The Alamo is an entertaining movie with a good heart that tries to accurately present the history of this famous American event. That said, there is a lot to critique in the movie. The movie tries to investigate the characters of Davy Crockett, William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Sam Houston. It succeeds with all of them except Crockett. Historically, Davy Crockett was not only a big man, but he was a man of great Christian virtue. Billy Bob Thornton's portrayal is smiley and reversed, and it does not give the great scope and depth necessary to the charismatic Crockett.

Compared to previous versions, there is a lot of good history in The Alamo. Bowie and Houston have more depth, while Travis comes off as a real hero. There are slight inaccuracies in the battle, and some of the dialogue is static rather than dramatic. Furthermore, there are some unnecessary obscenities in the movie, language which would not have been used at that time. In truth, the movie is greater than the sum of its parts. It tells the story and lifts up cardinal virtues such as heroism, self sacrifice, patriotism, trust, loyalty, forgiveness, and faith.