"The Alamo" is a surprisingly rousing and energetic cinematic retelling of the Alamo legend. The film embraces some of the exaggerated myths about the event, and it succeeds more as a straight epic adventure than a historical film. One suspects that the real historical events could not have been nearly this one sided. The film depicts one of the most seminal events in Texas history, the 1836 battle over the Alamo fort. The outnumbered Texans and Tejanos (as well as a few African Americans) fought bravely and the incident has become a great source of pride for Texans.

This production compares favorably with some of the previous films about the same event including "The Alamo" (1960), which was directed by John Wayne. Spoiler alert: The 1960 film had a glorious and violent end for Davey Crockett, but his death in the new version is more understated and no less satisfying.

The new film was well directed by the Texas born, John Lee Hancock, who does not have a particularly impressive resume. He is perhaps best known for directing the undistinguished and violent sleazefest, "The Rookie," one of Clint Eastwood’s worst films. Here, in "The Alamo" Hancock combines deft characterizations with some occasional humor, and exciting battle scenes.

Two characters serve as foils for each other; William Travis (Patrick Wilson) and Jim Bowie (Jason Patrick). Bowie is a cocky, rebel-rousing drunk who trades slaves and Travis is an overly formal, trusting man, who is not confident to take command. Of course, the two adversaries eventually learn to respect each other.

Santa Anna, the maniacal Mexican general with a Napoleon complex, begins a full-scale invasion. The Texans are seriously outnumbered, but they distinguish themselves in battle even though they have little or no hope of winning. Reinforcements are scheduled to come, but it might be too little too late.

Though the film was supposed to be over three hours, it was trimmed to its current length. But the setup for the action takes a bit too long, and the film feels a little too long even at 2 hours and 17 minutes.

A large part of the film’s success is the disarmingly charming performance of Billy Bob Thornton as Davey Crocket. Thornton exudes down home charm and he is convincing as an ordinary everyman who neither denies nor agrees with the ridiculous stories people tell about him. The myths are needed to inspire the men to confront overwhelming odds.

At times the film is a bit jingoistic. All the Mexican-Americans are good, submissive followers of the "good guys," and the Mexicans in Santa Anna’s service are pompous, smug and unsympathetic villains.

Still, "The Alamo" is a well-staged and exciting epic war film. It provides some nostalgic old-fashioned fun for Western fans. Not every action adventure can be at the level of an Akira Kurosawa or Sergio Leone film.