Critic Reviews
Proof of Life (2000) Rank 2 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (207) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Reviews by Score:
Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Fetal Film Report - Proof of Life
Reel.com (Mary Kalin-Casey)
DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)
I wish there had been more proof in Proof of Life that the filmmakers were alive and kicking. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)
Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
It's Rambo with a split hero -- Morse absorbing punishment and Crowe wreaking vengeance. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
Netflix (James Rocchi)
Kidnapping romance showcases Crowe's gifts -- and Ryan's limitations. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Netflix (James Rocchi)
Film Threat (--)
TV Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
His (Crowe) emotionally charged performance stands in contrast to Ryan's annoying, movie-star turn. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at TV Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
Chicago Reader (Lisa Alspector)
Against the lush backdrop of the Andes, Crowe and Caruso define on-screen cool: good guys in a match of wits and firepower who even talk about their emotions. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Chicago Reader (Lisa Alspector)
Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum)
When it's dull, which it is too often for a kidnap caper, this movie is about a woman chirping ''notice anything new about my outfit?'' to a man whose idea of style is a jacket not crusted in human blood. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum)
El Criticon (Antonio Méndez Casanova)
Moviola (Jorge G. Avila Andrade)
cinEncanto (Pablo del Moral)
Boxoffice Magazine
Boxoffice Magazine
Jump Cut. Magazin für Film und Kritik
Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Morse and Caruso provide better reasons to see this film than do Ryan and Crowe. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Detroit News (Susan Stark)
Palo Alto Online (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe in Proof Of Life. I am in the throes of Crowe love. I'm no fair-weather fan, either--I've been smitten since way back in 1982, with Russell's Australian skinheads outing, Romper Stomper. Does my giddy devotion suggest an ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Palo Alto Online (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Hollywood Hostel (Tim Chandler)
Meg Ryan stinks up the theatre. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Hollywood Hostel (Tim Chandler)
Movie Habit (Marty Mapes)
Proof of Life is two movies. It should have been just one. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Movie Habit (Marty Mapes)
Fantastica Daily (Mervius)
Proof of Life is slow, predictable, and uninvolving. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Fantastica Daily (Mervius)
efilmcritic.com (Collin Souter)
Can’t some writers/directors concede to the fact that some stories work perfectly well on their own without having to force an awkward first kiss between the two leads? ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at efilmcritic.com (Collin Souter)
Hollywood Report Card (--)
A full fifty-minute lull abducts all but one moment of spectacle from film. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Hollywood Report Card (--)
Palo Alto Weekly (Jeanne Aufmuth)
Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
Hollywood Hostel (Al Franken)
Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
Globe and Mail (--)
Xiibaro Productions (David Perry)
Film Written Magazine (Andrew Howe)
A well-acted disappointment. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Film Written Magazine (Andrew Howe)
Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
In Proof of Life it's the same old story, a fight for love and glory, except that time goes by . . . slowwwwly. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
An ambitious film that aims to examine the human equations behind the abductions. But for all its good intentions, it's not as subtle as it might be, and it's finally pitched too broadly to achieve the level of emotional truth it aims for. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
DigitalVD.de (Christian Schmidtchen)
Cinema Signals by The Filmiliar Cineaste
Movie Hell (Michael J. Legeros)
Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
Although the film has good acting, a bad title, and a fairly good story, it just never seems to click. Crowe and Ryan have good chemistry on the screen (and in real life, according to the rumors), but the romance doesn't seem to have enough heat. Maybe ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
Slate (David Edelstein)
Crowe gets to use his real Aussie voice, which works better with that poker face, and his underplaying at times has a psychotic intensity. But Ryan looks dopey when she's supposed to be stressed-out. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Slate (David Edelstein)
Dustin Putman
Based on both a "Vanity Fair" article by William Prochnau, and a book by Thomas Hargrove entitled "The Long March to Freedom," Meg Ryan stars as Alice Bowman, a woman living in South America with her husband, Peter (David Morse), a dam engineer. Alice ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Dustin Putman
The New York Times (Stephen Holden)
What ultimately sinks this stylish but heartless film is a flat lead performance by the eternally snippy Meg Ryan. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at The New York Times (Stephen Holden)
Salon.com (Michael Sragow)
Everything about Proof of Life is intriguing and a little off. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Salon.com (Michael Sragow)
FilmHead.com (Matt Heffernan)
ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
Occasionally interesting hostage drama, badly let down by the woeful mishandling of the central relationship.Proof of Life arrives in the UK having already achieved a certain notoriety as the film which kick-started the well-publicised affair between ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at ViewLondon (Matthew Turner)
As the Reel Rolls (Malcolm Clark)
I did my best to be patient while the opening five minutes of Proof of Life blasted the screen with a violent introduction to our hero, Terry Thorne (Russell Crowe), meanwhile weakening the effect by a prolonged superposition of the titles etc. Why ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at As the Reel Rolls (Malcolm Clark)
Film Values/Family Values (H. Arthur Taussig)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
LA Weekly (Manohla Dargis)
Exactly the sort of good bad movie that Hollywood does best -- it's big, worthless fun. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at LA Weekly (Manohla Dargis)
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) (Harry Guerin)
Tragically for both Hackford and the punters, the best drama came when the cameras weren't rolling. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) (Harry Guerin)
Empire Magazine (--)
Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
It's the same old story, a fight for love and glory, except that time goes by . . . slowwwwly. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Washington Post (Stephen Hunter)
Film.com (Peter Brunette)
Flat and thoroughly predictable piece of filmmaking. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Film.com (Peter Brunette)
New York Times (Stephen Holden)
What ultimately sinks this stylish but heartless film is a flat lead performance by the eternally snippy Meg Ryan. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at New York Times (Stephen Holden)
In Film Australia (Luke Buckmaster)
With so many attempts towards a great film, and so many gigantic, un-sustained leaps in the narrative, ‘Proof of Life’ becomes an absurd film with absurd principles ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at In Film Australia (Luke Buckmaster)
Film.com (Gemma Files)
This is half a good movie held hostage to the other, trashier half, and unfortunately for all of us, no rescue seems forthcoming. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Film.com (Gemma Files)
Variety (Todd McCarthy)
A disappointingly routine thriller that prefers to lean on tired Hollywood conventions rather than to explore fresh dramatic and stylistic territory. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Variety (Todd McCarthy)
Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
An expert in K&R (Kidnap and Ransom), Russell
Crowe endeavors to rescue a disconcerted woman's
husband down in South America. Despite complications
to this mission, Crowe is magnificently steadfast. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
ToxicUniverse.com (Jeremiah Kipp)
If only Proof of Life had been a cop-buddy movie between these guys. They might have had something. Memo to ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at ToxicUniverse.com (Jeremiah Kipp)
Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
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 ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
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