"The Alamo"

John Lee Hancock’s version of “The Alamo” is a very good movie. The movie depicts the epic battle fought in 1836 in San Antonio, Texas. This is when less than two hundred Texan and Tejano volunteers led by William Berret Travis took on general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and thousands of Mexican forces to gain their independence from Mexico.
This movie is pretty historically accurate. There is some extra dialog, because it’s a Hollywood movie and not a documentary. The Anglo settlers are depicted as rough yet good hearted men, who are willing to sacrifice everything to gain their independence. Billy Bob Thornton play Davy Crockett in the movie, he puts an elaborate spunk in the character of Davy. That was the kind of man Davy was known as being and was very well respected and the men would always be around him looking for encouragement as well as entertainment. In one scene he shoots the shoulder pad right off of Santa Anna’s uniform and in another he plays the fiddle in harmony with the battle music of the Mexican forces. William Berret Travis is shown as the fearless, dedicated leader he was. He kept the men together even though no one else was coming to their aid. Also the feeling of despair was felt in the character of Sam Houston as they gathered forces to fight the Mexican army
This movie does a good job of showing the courageous effort and dedication the Tejano fighter contributed. Juan Seguin and his fleet of Tejano fighters he brought to fight in the Alamo were frequently shown throughout the movie. Also there is a great deal of teamwork shown between the Texan and Tejano fighters. Juan Seguin is ordered by Travis to take a letter to Sam Houston and when he gets there Sam Houston orders him to stay with his troops. At the Battle of San Jacinto at the end of the movie Juan Seguin is seen giving cards to the Tejano fighters to put in their hats so there is no confusion during the battle as to whose side they were on.
The Mexican forces are depicted very accurately. They were shown as the well put together, very prepared army they were. Santa Anna is shown as an eloquent man but fearsome dictator. Throughout the movie you see him and his other generals eating cake, sipping coffee, and smoking cigars. This showed all the resources and supplies the Mexican army had. After the Alamo Santa Anna decides to split his troops up and then meets his fait at the battle of San Jacinto. Sam Houston and his troops stormed Santa Anna and his forces and defeated them in only eighteen minutes. During the battle Santa Anna shows what a coward he really is, by removing his general’s uniform and trying to hide amongst his soldiers. In the end it was his own men that recognized him and pointed him out. In exchange for his life Santa Anna overturned the Mexican Authority of Texas. The Texans and Tejanos were finally independent from Mexico.