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, played by
Russell Crowe, who went on to be the founder of kidnap-for-ransom consultancy Clayton Consultants, Inc.