Proof of Life (2000)

Despite being Oscar nominated for Ray (2004), director Taylor Hackford is not a household name when it comes to filmmaking. Indeed, the only Hackford film that this so-called film fan has seen is 2013’s Jason Statham fronted Parker. And, it’s not unfair to suggest that Proof of Life is on a similar footing to Parker. Although Proof of Life is probably a better film, Parker arguably achieves what it sets out to do more effectively than this political hostage thriller.

Meg Ryan’s Alice has moved to fictional South American country Tecala, because her engineer husband Peter (a terrific David Morse) has been hired to build a new dam in the region for an oil company. Shortly after, Peter is abducted and held hostage by a group of guerilla rebels of the Liberation Army of Tecala. This is where Russell Crowe’s Terry, a hostage negotiator, becomes involved, hired by his company to negotiate Peter’s return. Unfortunately, the oil company Peter has been hired by is on the verge of bankruptcy and takeover, meaning they have no insurance cover for the hostage negotiation and cannot afford Terry’s services. Proof of Life hinges on the growing romantic relationship between Alice and Terry, but only really works when everyone involved is concentrating on the situation at hand rather than romance. Terry decides to help Peter seemingly from his own goodwill, but the film keeps forcing the romance to the forefront, and sidelining the out and out thriller it should really be. Fortunately there’s enough to make Proof of Life pass the time sufficiently, but it’s a shame that the main crux of the film that’s pushed front and center isn’t really what the audience want. There are shades of Ridley Scott’s more recent Body of Lies (2008), and although not perfect by any means, it makes you wonder what Proof of Lies might have looked like in the hands of Scott. 5.7/10