THE ALAMO UNACCOUNTABLY UNPOPULAR

USA Today searches for reasons. They overlook the obvious, the same factor that doomed Pearl Harbor. As Mr. Patton said, "the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans." If I were a big Hollywood executive I would definitely put the Tet Offensive and Custer's Last Stand projects on hold.

Americans like the movies where a:
single heroic FBI agent / plucky band of misfits / unassuming janitor / cook who knows aikido
uncoverts a high-level conspiracy / fights alone against all odds / foils a terrorist plot / gets an advanced degree
...and...
kills the annoying supervillain / takes down the mob / saves the President / gets the girl and lives happily ever after.

The Alamo had 2/3 of the formula right, but no one want to see the movie where a plucky band of misfits fights against all odds and gets slaughtered for nothing. Fearless prediction: The Alamo will be huge in Japan.

If only they'd make an action thriller about the Battle Off Samar...

Apropos of my point about avoiding disasters (below), Russell Crowe was involved in The Alamo project early on, and ultimately decided not to participate.