Proof of Life movie storyline. Americans Alice and Peter Bowman have traveled from third world country to third world country working on humanitarian projects. They are currently in Tecala, a country nestled in the Andes, as Peter, an engineer, has been hired by QUAD Carbon, an oil company – the moral “enemy” – to lead a project to construct a dam to prevent what is the constant flooding in the country.
Alice and Peter eventually learn that QUAD Carbon cares nothing about the dam, which is just a smoke-screen to get an oil pipeline approved and built. Despite loving each other, they have had problems in the marriage of late because of being in Tecala, where Alice has not been able to find her place, and needing to deal with the aftermath of Alice’s recent miscarriage.
On his way to work one day, Peter, along with a group of others, are random kidnap victims of left wing guerrillas, the Liberation Army of Tecala (ELT), whose reason for being has changed from a political agenda to a monetary one, primarily getting said money through kidnapping and the drug trade in cocaine. The ELT may believe they can get good money for Peter being an oil company executive, despite he not being wealthy as he is not on the oil side of the business.
Luthan Risk International, who is the contracted agency for QUAD Carbon’s kidnap and ransom (K&R) requirements, dispatches Australian-British Terry Thorne to negotiate Peter’s release, Terry an ex-special ops soldier who is known as the best in the business within his own circles. But QUAD Carbon’s financial troubles may prevent Terry or anyone else from Luthan Risk helping to get Peter back.
Proof of Life is a 2000 American action thriller film directed and produced 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, who went on to be the founder of kidnap-for-ransom consultancy Clayton Consultants, Inc.
The film stars Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe, David Morse, Pamela Reed, David Caruso, Gottfried John, Anthony Heald, Margo Martindale, Alun Armstrong and Pietro Sibille. During production, the two lead actors had a romantic affair. At the time, Ryan was married to Dennis Quaid, but the two divorced in 2001.
Proof of Life (2000)
Directed by: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe, David Morse, Pamela Reed, David Caruso, Gottfried John, Anthony Heald, Margo Martindale, Alun Armstrong, Pietro Sibille
Screenplay by: Tony Gilroy
Production Design by: Bruno Rubeo
Cinematography by: Slawomir Idziak
Film Editing by: Sheldon Kahn, John Smith
Costume Design by: Ruth Myers
Set Decoration by: Anna Pinnock, Steve Shewchuk
Art Direction by: Steve Carter
Music by: Danny Elfman
MPAA Rating: R for violence, language and some drug material.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: December 4, 2000
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