Proof of Life (2000)

40% of critics liked it
(115 reviews)
44% of users liked it
(45,882 ratings)

A woman whose marriage is in trouble finds herself falling for a new man as her husband's life hangs in the balance in this thriller. Peter Bowman (David Morse) and his wife Alice (Meg Ryan) have relocated to a small Latin American nation called Tecala; Peter works for an American engineering and… More A woman whose marriage is in trouble finds herself falling for a new man as her husband's life hangs in the balance in this thriller. Peter Bowman (David Morse) and his wife Alice (Meg Ryan) have relocated to a small Latin American nation called Tecala; Peter works for an American engineering and construction firm, and his latest assignment has him building a dam that is intended to bring power to the developing nation. The ELT is a radical Marxist faction gearing up for political revolution in Tecala that has turned to kidnapping as a way to raise capital, and Peter is chosen as its next target. When Peter is ambushed on his way to work, his firm brings in Terry Thorn (Russell Crowe), a former Australian intelligence operative who now works as a private "kidnapping and ransom" negotiator. Alice is told Terry is her best hope for bringing Peter back safe and sound, but when Terry's employers run into a tight squeeze financially, they cancel their K&R insurance (which is considered a standard benefit for American employees assigned to South America), leaving Alice to rehire Terry on her own, especially since she can't possibly pay the $3 million ransom demanded by the kidnappers. As Terry and his partner Dino (David Caruso) map out a rescue plan, Alice and Terry find themselves increasingly attracted to each other. Alice's marriage to Peter was going through a rough patch when he was kidnapped, and while she's deeply concerned for his safety, she must reconcile her fears for Peter's life with her new feelings for Terry. Proof of Life is based on Adventures in the Ransom Trade, an article by journalist William Prochnau that was published in Vanity Fair, as well as on the case of real-life kidnapping victim Tom Hargrove. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 16 min.
Directed By: Taylor Hackford
Written By: Tony Gilroy
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Romance, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Dec 8, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Jun 19, 2001
Studio: Warner Bros.

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
I was interested all through the movie--interested, but not riveted.
Michael Sragow, Salon.com
For all its nail-biting fusillades, it fails to score a shot to the heart.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Proof of Life refers to a negotiator's demand for proof a hostage is still alive...you may start wondering the same thing about the movie.
Jay Carr, Boston Globe
Proof of Life is intelligent, but culturally biased and less than altogether compelling.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Good story, but too violent for kids.
Tony Macklin, Las Vegas CityLife
The unconvincing Proof of Life is a missed opportunity.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Whatever sparks ignited off the set fail to register on film, in essence ruining Taylor Hackford's drama.
Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
About as thrilling as the Kansas plains.
Gabriel Shanks, Mixed Reviews
Crackles, sputters, and starts up finally in the last half of the movie.
Harry Guerin, RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
Tragically for both Hackford and the punters, the best drama came when the cameras weren't rolling.
James Rocchi, Netflix
Kidnapping romance showcases Crowe's gifts -- and Ryan's limitations.

Read all 11 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Nelson P

It is what it is. You really cant blame this movie on Russell Crowe or Meg Ryan, but the atrocious screen writer and the studio that allowed this to be made.
Anthony L

Quite bad, really could have been much better!
Jani H

Well, first of all, "Proof of Life" is somewhat of a insignificant movie. Of course the subject of the film is important but there are too many negative aspects. Script-wise the movie is very weak. There's no suspense, no emotion. If there was, then the actors… More
Well, first of all, "Proof of Life" is somewhat of a insignificant movie. Of course the subject of the film is important but there are too many negative aspects. Script-wise the movie is very weak. There's no suspense, no emotion. If there was, then the actors didn't do their job. The characters are mainly quite unappealing. "Proof of Life" is still worth seeing but will not last a second viewing. It's starts slowly but in the end it delivers some enjoyable moments.
Al S

A tense, stunning and pulse-pounding thriller that explodes with action, excitment, romance and suspense. A truly thrilling, gripping, nail-biting and breathtaking adventure. Heart-wrenching and adreniline-pumping. Powerhouse performances. Russell Crowe is magnificent. David Morse is… More
A tense, stunning and pulse-pounding thriller that explodes with action, excitment, romance and suspense. A truly thrilling, gripping, nail-biting and breathtaking adventure. Heart-wrenching and adreniline-pumping. Powerhouse performances. Russell Crowe is magnificent. David Morse is outstanding. David Caruso is excellent.
Mason W

Proof of Life stars the very good Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe. Meg Ryans husband gets kidnapped while being in a foreign country. In order to save him and negotiater (Crowe) assists with the difficult situation. During this time they spend a lot of time with one another and start… More
Proof of Life stars the very good Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe. Meg Ryans husband gets kidnapped while being in a foreign country. In order to save him and negotiater (Crowe) assists with the difficult situation. During this time they spend a lot of time with one another and start to develope feelings.
Red L

Russell Crowe stars as the solder who will rescue hostages. Meg Ryan stars as the wife who's hubby needs rescuing. There emerges this twisted tale of innuendo romance in the middle of the rescue attempt. Then of course there was the real-life affair going on between Russell… More
Russell Crowe stars as the solder who will rescue hostages. Meg Ryan stars as the wife who's hubby needs rescuing. There emerges this twisted tale of innuendo romance in the middle of the rescue attempt. Then of course there was the real-life affair going on between Russell and Meg.
Candy R

Full of adventure. Very moving.
Dean !

A cool drama as Meg Ryans fights for Proof of life for her kidnapped husband.
danny d

should have had more action and less talking. im also biased against this flick because meg cheated on dennis with russel while filming this thing
Jens S

Very entertaining hostage thriller. Starts out a little slow when introducing the victim and his wife Meg Ryan but quickly catches up speed as Russel Crowe enters the scene. With an excellent and exciting action showdown.
Dean M

Terrific romantic-thriller as this is my best one of kidnapped / rescue story of the movies in the history.
James A

A forgettable movie.
Nate Z

[font=Arial][color=darkred]'Proof of Life' is more an interesting idea than an intelligent or well done thriller. The whole concept of the politics involved in K&R (kidnap and rescue) are duely fascinating. But 'Proof' decides to build a different film around… More
[font=Arial][color=darkred]'Proof of Life' is more an interesting idea than an intelligent or well done thriller. The whole concept of the politics involved in K&R (kidnap and rescue) are duely fascinating. But 'Proof' decides to build a different film around this premise and detours into mediocrity. The film ends with the standard take-down in the jungle I've seen many times over except I have the pleasure of seeing David Caruso do it this time.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]David Morse is an environmentalist hired by an oil conglomorate to build a dam in a small fictional Equador looking country. He gets kidnapped by some radical revolutionaries and is held for ransom. Russel Crowe steps in as the hired K&R expert from Morse's insurance agency.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The suppossed romance on set between Crowe and Ryan is beyond my guess. On screen they have little chemistry and any romance bubbling rates a DOA on Dr. Love's scale. Meg Ryan betrays herself as an actress and wanders the film minus a bra and constantly sniffling.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]During play is a long going friction between Morse, who starts to look like he was auditioning for 'Cast Away', and some revolutionary hot-headed youth. It's almost laughable the more it goes on. The will-they-or-won't-they romance gets snuffed everytime we cut back to Ryan's husband enduring hardships. The editing and the concept ruin whatever sexual tension is supposed to build. The flick also has an unsettling theme that if you aren't an English speaking white person you can't be trusted.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The film starts off well with Crowe tangeled in Russia but shifts into the mundane rather fast. 'Proof of Life' is proof that what transpires off camera doesn't always connect on camera.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: C+[/color][/font]
Dannielle A

I liked this one. It was a realistic action movie. Intense and heartfelt.
Steven V

This movie was interesting and action packed but overall it was just an okay film. Anyway the movie its not one of Russell Crowe best ones and may feel a bit slow and long.
ashley h

A little too drug out but a good movie.
Barry L

Never been a big meg Ryan fan but this was an extremely watchable film.