Unfortunately, you have to compare this with the John Wayne version from 1960, and it doesn't really hold up very favourably. Patrick Wilson is Colonel Travis trying to command a garrison of Texan freedom fighters holed up in an old Catholic Mission against the overwhelming forces of Mexican General Santa Anna. His task is made the harder by the fact that he is a bit inept, and has some very strong characters to try to lead - not least Davy Crockett (Tommy Lee Jones) and Jim Bowie (Jason Patric). Unlike the earlier version, this story takes us beyond the well told story of the siege, and as such better completes the story of the birth of Texas as an independent state. Better, but as to the acting - well that is all pretty mediocre, sterile even. The dialogue is wordy and lacking in much humour and these undoubted characters are underplayed by all concerned. The production is of an high standard - it looks good, but all told it comes across as a television movie frequently peppered with large scale re-enactments that would not be out of place supporting a country fair.