Proof of Life
Short description
Proof of Life centres on Peter Bowman, an American engineer working on a dam project in the South American country of Tecala, who is seized by anti-government rebels. His employer, a Houston firm already in financial trouble, will not pay the ransom, leaving his wife Alice to handle the crisis alone. She turns to Terry Thorne, a professional hostage negotiator, who takes on the case and pursues a rescue as the situation grows more dangerous.
The film was directed by Taylor Hackford, its eighth feature, arriving between The Devil's Advocate and Ray. Tony Gilroy wrote the screenplay, and Charles Mulvehill and Hackford produced. Meg Ryan plays Alice, Russell Crowe plays Thorne, and David Morse plays Peter, with Pamela Reed, David Caruso and Anthony Heald in supporting roles. It was made for about 65 million dollars and, across its worldwide run, returned roughly 63 million, a modest result against its cost.
On IMDb it holds 6.3 out of 10 from around 61,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.2 from about 900. A critics' rating of 5.8 from 115 reviews places it slightly below those audience scores, indicating a mixed professional response alongside moderate viewer approval. The production was a co-effort between the United Kingdom, Poland, the United States and Ecuador.
What's left behind the scenes
- The lead role was initially offered to Harrison Ford, but he declined it.
- In almost all scenes featuring Meg Ryan, she has a cigarette in her hand, but she doesn't smoke in a single shot.
- Will Gaffney, David Morse's stunt double, died in Ecuador during filming as a result of an accident. The truck he was driving suddenly swerved and fell off a cliff. The film was dedicated to his memory.
- To prepare for his role, Crowe trained with a five-time world karate champion from Melbourne named Lorraine Bewaart.
- Throughout the filming, David Morse gradually lost weight under medical supervision to more realistically portray how such a situation affects a person.
- Filming in Poland lasted 9 days and took place 30 minutes from Poznań, at a military training ground. Actual Chechens played the Chechen roles, and Poles played the Russians, with the exception, of course, of Alexander Baluev.
- Part of the filming in Ecuador took place in the country's capital, Quito, and part in the mountains, sometimes at an altitude of over 4,000 meters. There, thirty members of the film crew who suffered from a lack of oxygen had to receive medical assistance and be sent 'down'.
- The cast and crew represented nationalities from 21 countries.
- During the film's promotion, Ryan was fined a substantial amount by the studio for refusing to discuss her collaboration with Russell Crowe in interviews.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
