After the high-points of The Insider and Gladiator, this is Crowe's introduction to the kind of silly Hollywood melodrama every leading man has to go through at least once in their career, his star power roped in to give a ropy script a bit of an edge, but there's an awful scene in the first fifteen minutes - between his character, a divorced ex-SAS man, and the poor little rugby-playing orphan boy who calls him "sir" - which lets him, and the audience, know exactly what to expect. (It should be noted that everyone involved with this scene looks suitably embarrassed.) Of the other two, Morse does terrific work, trudging over the hilltops with a castaway's beard and a steely look of resolve in his eyes which never lets up, but Ryan, taking yet another thankless role in a recent career of thankless roles in thankless movies, gets the short-straw character of an ex-hippy forced to stand around smoking in bad fashion choices or running around after a man whose job is running around after a man who builds dams while his wife stays at home. Too many of the supports - Reed's sister-in-law, David Caruso's wisecracking partner, almost all of the ethnic characters - play for broad comedy which lets any tension go; you may like to compare Proof Of Life with Richard Price's script for Ron Howard's underrated 1996 thriller Ransom, a more psychological take on the kidnap movie which had far fewer "outs" for its characters - and its audience. The only interesting point the plot has to make - a tentative parallel drawn between jungle terrorists and multinational corporations - is lost about halfway in as a promising drama about people cut off from the world gives way to let's-kill-all-the-kidnappers gung-ho with a collapsible love triangle stapled on (Crowe rediscovers his Andy McNab genes just as Ryan's working out what she really feels for her husband.)

The love triangle can't work because Morse is more likeable than the Crowe-Ryan relationship would allow, and the action-thriller element features the worst plot contrivance of any major studio release this year: Ryan's housemaid's daughter does the kidnappers' laundry. (That should teach them for sending out.) The final irony is that Warner Bros. and Castle Rock each spent several million dollars on a film which demonstrates remarkably few proofs of life itself.

Action packed,high-octane edge of your seat thriller
Review date: 2001-09-05 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is a excellent film , and worth every penny you spend , despite what the snitchy critics say.It is superbly informitive , and well acted. The plot is that a engineer in South America is kidnapped.The ransom is 3 million Us dollars.His company should be insuring him , but due to cuts , there policy was scratched.So que Terry Thorne[ Russel Crowe ] and ex- SAS K&R[ Kidnap and Ransom ] negotiator. But when it all goes haywire , Thorne and his SAS mates go in to get him out. . . .

Hugely disappointing and formulaic "thriller"
Review date: 2001-07-31 Rating: 2 out of 10

The much-vaunted chemistry between Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe is notable by its total absence in this leaden film. Crowe, at least, is watchable as a dour but decent hostage recovery expert and he plays his "strong and silent" role superbly. His is the only character in the film to generate any interest or sympathy. By contrast, the rest of the cast are wooden and/or histrionic. The plot is cliched, the dialogue embarrassing, the action very ordinary, and the conclusion predictable and dull. A complete waste of talent and not to be recommended.

Superb, entertaining and exhilerating !
Review date: 2001-07-02 Rating: 10 out of 10

Proof of life is a fantastic film. From start to finish it kept me on the edge of my seat. Proof of life is not high in action but what you do get is a well made film with an extremely good story and very good actors. However the action sequences you do witness are superb. Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe are superb together. If you enjoyed the negotiator you'll love this ! Ten out of Ten !

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