Proof of Life (2000)

Proof of Life is a 2000 American kidnap action thriller film directed by Taylor Hackford. The title refers to a phrase commonly used to indicate proof that a kidnap victim is still alive. The film's screenplay was written by Tony Gilroy, who also was a co-executive producer, and was inspired by William Prochnau's Vanity Fair magazine article "Adventures in the Ransom Trade," and Thomas Hargrove's book The Long March To Freedom in which Hargrove recounts how his release was negotiated by Thomas Clayton, played by Russell Crowe, who went on to be the founder of kidnap-for-ransom consultancy Clayton Consultants, Inc.

The picture stars Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe. It is perhaps best remembered as the film during which the two lead actors had a romantic affair. At the time of filming, Ryan was married to Dennis Quaid, but the two divorced in 2001. The film garnered much reportage in the tabloid press in association with the lead actors' affair. The film is dedicated to Will Gaffney, an actor who was David Morse's stand-in. He was killed in an on-set accident during a scene in which Morse was not available, due to a family illness.

Synopsis

Alice Bowman (Meg Ryan) moves to the (fictional) South American country of Tecala because her husband, Peter (David Morse), has been hired to assist with building a dam. Though Alice is unhappy at this most recent move, she agrees to stay. When Peter is in the city one day, a convoy of automobiles (including his) is ambushed by guerrilla rebels of the Liberation Army of Tecala (ELT). Believing that Peter actually works for an oil pipeline company, ELT soldiers abduct him and lead him into the country's jungles.

Actors