Critic Reviews
Proof of Life (2000) Rank 3 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:
San Francisco Chronicle (Wesley Morris)
San Francisco Chronicle (Wesley Morris)
JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
A solid thriller that relies more on the psychological decomposition of a tense hostage situation, rather than the full blown action sequences that we've become accustomed to in similar flicks. Is that another way of saying that the movie is slow? Well, ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Poor Taylor Hackford. He's made good movies (The Idolmaker, An Officer and a Gentleman) and some goofy ones (Devil's Advocate), but he's no hack. Unlike many of his peers, he's actually married to a brilliant actress his own age (Helen Mirren). ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Swimming to Casablanca - sprint reviews
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eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)
A refreshingly well-thought out drama that rises above the normal ransom drops and phone taps we’re used to. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)
filmcritic.com gets its Proof
filmcritic.com gets its Proof
A Guide to Current DVD (Aaron Beierle)
DVD Authority.com (Matt Brighton)
Moovees.com (Jay Tierney)
Almost Fabulous Movie Reviews
Teen Movie Critic (Vivian Rose)
Hollywood Jesus Visual Review
THE WEEKLY MOVIE REVIEW
Filmtracks (Christian Clemmensen)
The exotic elements of the score, in light of the score's anemic envelopment of
the listener, seem like a page stolen from the books of Patriot Games or
Beyond Rangoon, but never so obvious. The most interesting moments of the
score ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Filmtracks (Christian Clemmensen)
Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)
With all the
pressure that goes into making movies these days, people on the
set often bond with each other out of the intensity of the circumstances.
"Proof of Life" is one film that must have caused a lot ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)
The King's Room (Paul Perkins)
Toy
Story Set (3 DVDs)
Jurassic
Park Set DVD
Buy MI:2
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American
Beauty DVD
Perfect
Storm DVD
Gladiator ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at The King's Room (Paul Perkins)
Criminy Pete's Knee Jerk Spoilers
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
In Taylor Hackford's Proof of Life, Russell Crowe gets to keep his native Australian accent as Terry Thorne, an ex-soldier-turned-hostage-negotiator whose expertise is K&R (kidnapping and ransom). He deals mainly with extracting businessmen and ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
watchingmovies.com (Rob McKinnon)
The script is intelligently written and the performances are very real. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at watchingmovies.com (Rob McKinnon)
SPLICEDwire (Rob Blackwelder)
Natural Born Viewers (Gabe Toro)
Russell Crowe's head is huge in "Proof of Life." Now, I know you may be saying
he's entitled to such an honor after his critically acclaimed performances in films like
"The Insider," "Gladiator" and "A Beautiful
Mind". However, you would ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Natural Born Viewers (Gabe Toro)
Scott Renshaw
As it happens, the relationship between Ryan and Crowe's characters is the worst reason to see PROOF OF LIFE. In fact, the filmmakers seem to do everything possible to make that relationship utterly inconsequential. Ryan plays Alice Bowman, a woman ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Scott Renshaw
A Guide to Current DVD (Mark McLeod)
Movie Parables (Michael Elliott)
Manages to convey the emotional turmoil and confusion... without becoming strident or melodramatic. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Movie Parables (Michael Elliott)
UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)
Matinee Magazine (Rob Morlino)
Buzz (Tanya Marsh)
Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
Cineclub-Filmkritik
musicOMH (Shawn Fitzgerald)
Reviews on the Side (Steven Lekowicz)
3 Black Chicks ("Bams")
Michael D's Region 4 DVD Info Page (Nick Jardine)
txreviews.com (Curtis Edmonds)
Movie-Vault.com (James Starkie)
Mr. Showbiz (Kevin Maynard)
Proof of Life won't hold your heart hostage for very long after it's over, but here's looking at Russell Crowe -- he's the real deal, sweetheart. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Mr. Showbiz (Kevin Maynard)
3 Black Chicks ("The Diva")
Film Monthly (Wayne Case)
BBC Films (Almar Haflidason)
CineScene.com (Kristen Ashley)
Christian Spotlight on the Movies
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The Cranky Critic (Chuck Schwartz)
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CinemaScreen (James Salter)
hybridmagazine.com
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allesfilm.com (Magdalena Miedl)
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TheWorldJournal.com
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Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
Planet Sick-Boy (Jon Popick)
Movies 101 (Robert Glatzer)
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CHUD Review - Nick Nunziata
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Sun Newspapers of Cleveland
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PopMatters (Cynthia Fuchs)
Screen It! Entertainment Reviews for Parents
Reel.com DVD review (Neal Block)
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
The Phantom Tollbooth
Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Flak Magazine (Stephanie Kuenn)
Harvey's Movie Review (Harvey O'Brien)
Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)
MovieFreak.com (Mike McLarney)
Philadelphia City Paper (Cindy Fuchs)
Reeling Reviews (Robin and Laura Clifford)
Anchorage Press (Ian Winn)
The Boston Phoenix
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Film Freak Central
MediaCircus (Anthony Leong)
USA Today (Mike Clark)
It's never enough of a grabber to keep the mind from wandering to the romance it apparently sparked. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at USA Today (Mike Clark)
Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
Whatever romantic tension the film has is communicated in the coiled-spring performance by Crowe, one of the most remarkable actors working. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Carrie Rickey)
New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
Disappointingly routine kidnapping thriller with soap-opera trimmings. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
I was interested all through the movie--interested, but not riveted. I cared, but not quite enough. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Boston Globe (Jay Carr)
It's absorbing, although draggy. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Boston Globe (Jay Carr)
New York Daily News (Jack Mathews)
The romantic subtext of their characters' relationship is the film's chief liability, and feels forced and undeveloped. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at New York Daily News (Jack Mathews)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Proof of Life is a curious mixture of psychological drama and romance, with elements of a straightforward action thriller grafted onto the end. While the film is not without its high points, the mixture fails about as often as it succeeds. One of the prob ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
A disappointing thriller considering the two headline stars Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe are well suited for their roles (gossip has it they found real romance together offscreen). The location shots are gorgeous (actual location shots are in Ecuador's ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Bob Longino)
In a year of so many so-so movies, Proof of Life is the so-soest. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Bob Longino)
One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
In 1995 Taylor Hackford helmed what I consider the worst Stephen King adaptation yet - the god awfully boring "Dolores Claiborne". Yet funnily enough he followed that up with the truly great "Devil's Advocate" which is quite a naughty yet darn good ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Dark Horizons (Garth Franklin)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Kidnapping is not a rare crime but a lucrative line of business in the Third World, according to "Proof of Life," a movie that is best when it sticks closest to the trade craft of a ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
I seem to remember hearing something about romantic sparks flying between the two co-stars of Proof of Life, Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe. I suppose we'll have to trust the gossip on this one because the screen gives off little indication of their ardor. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Jigsaw Lounge (Neil Young)
The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)
Another stunning performance from Russell Crowe holds together a movie that is otherwise not sure exactly what it wants to be. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at The Movie Mom (Nell Minow)
Steve Rhodes
The story is about K and R (kidnap and ransom) negotiators. With jobs that make Kevin Spacey's in THE NEGOTIATOR look like a tea party in comparison, K and R negotiators specialize in executive kidnap cases, in which they negotiate the ransom with the ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Steve Rhodes
CinemaSense.Com: Movie Reviews of the Heart
The BigScreen Cinema Guide - Reader Reviews
An American engineer in a Latin American country is kidnapped for a $3 million dollar ransom. Abandoned by her husband’s employer and insurance company, his wife refuses to give up on his life and hires a professional negotiator to free him. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at The BigScreen Cinema Guide - Reader Reviews
Edward Johnson-Ott
In an article that inspired the actionthriller, "Proof of Life," William Prochnau wrote, "The huge number of multinational executives being abducted abroad has made organized kidnapping a big business. It has also spawned a counterindustry – getting ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Edward Johnson-Ott
Tracksounds! (Christopher Coleman)
Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)
There are some movies that miss the mark. And this was one of them. All of the necessary elements were available for success: good actors, intriguing story and a beautiful location. Unfortunately at film's end I was left with a so what? kind of feeling. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
One thing that Proof of Life has going for it is the involvement of Slawomir Idziak. The veteran Polish cinematographer, who worked four times with Krzysztof Kieslowski (The Scar, A Short Film About ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
The Movie Chicks
Peter and Alice Bowman (David Morse, Meg Ryan) are living in Tecala, South America while Peter is working for Quad Carbon, an oil company. He is kidnapped by guerilla revolutionaries trying to raise money and is taken to a remote mountain camp. The ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at The Movie Chicks
Reel.com
But the focus on the people themselves slows and divides Life between forbidden romance and suspenseful action, resulting in an always watchable yet completely forgettable exercise that's ultimately about the bond of marriage more than anything else. ...read the complete Proof of Life movie review at Reel.com
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