PROOF OF LIFE — ** — Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe, David Morse, Pamela Reed, David Caruso; rated R (violence, profanity, drugs, torture); Carmike 12, Cottonwood Mall and Ritz 15 Theaters; Century Theatres 16; Cinemark Jordan Landing Theaters; Gateway 8 Cinemas; Loews Cineplex Midvalley and Trolley Square Mall Cinemas; Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons.
Latin American guerrillas kidnap an engineer who's trying to build a dam in their country. Having long ago abandoned their political beliefs, the guerrillas are devoted only to money. When they're not extorting large sums of cash from foreign corporations, they run a thriving cocaine trade.
The lack of political conviction among the guerrillas mirrors the lack of conviction that undermines "Proof of Life," turning a potentially interesting thriller into a ho-hum affair. The movie, which stars Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan, burns at a low level, failing to generate the kind of sparks the two actors (supposedly an item) have ignited in the tabloid press.
Too bad, because director Taylor Hackford is working with some interesting ingredients. The always magnetic Crowe plays a hostage negotiator who plies his trade for a British company. When negotiations fail, as is the case in the movie's edgy prologue, he leads tactical operations against the various organizations that specialize in abducting international executives.
Crowe's Terry Thorne becomes involved in a case in the fictional Latin American country of Tecala after Ryan's husband (David Morse) is snatched from his car. The complications are rife with dramatic potential, and for a while, the movie opens up a new world of danger to us, one in which money seems to trump every other value.
Morse's Peter Bowman works for an oil company that has just been sold. He's caught in a corporate shift that turns his problem into an afterthought. Moreover, Bowman and his wife (Ryan) have been fighting. They've had trouble since she miscarried during a recent posting in Africa.
When Crowe, a model of efficiency and stoicism, arrives, it seems as if he'll quickly resolve matters. He'll negotiate a release and move on. When he's called off the case by his company, Ryan tries to fend for herself. Of course, Crowe's Terry Thorne eventually returns to help this woman in distress.
Hackford keeps waves of interest rippling through a sometimes inert script but doesn't build real concern for the characters. A section in which Bowman's sister (Pamela Reed) arrives takes a long time and adds little. She's around to help raise money for the ransom. The chemistry between Ryan and Crowe doesn't boil. Crowe's character obviously is taken with her, but he's respectful of her marriage.
Sketchy attempts are made to round out Crowe's character. He has a son in private school. He was married to the daughter of a British general. He's a loner who seems to relax only in the company of other men who engage in his bizarrely specialized line of work. David Caruso has a small role as another operative who rescues kidnapped executives.
By the time "Proof of Life" turns into an action picture, it's too late to redeem itself. What we wind up with are a collection of exotically located scenes that don't quite jell, whether they're staged in Ryan's upscale home or in the mountains where Morse's character has been dragged by the guerrillas.
The movie isn't quite smart enough or pulpy enough to satisfy. It's one of those middle-ground efforts.
The guerrillas want money. Ryan, who doesn't succumb to her usual case of the cutes, wants her husband back. Morse wants his freedom. And Crowe wants to do the right thing. These should have made for a potent cocktail of desire, frustration and tangled motivation, but too often "Proof of Life" flatlines.
"Proof of Life" is rated R for scenes of battle, occasional strong profanity and scenes depicting drug trades, as well as torture. Running time: 137 minutes.