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Directed by: Anthony Minghella Starring: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellwegger Cold Mountain takes place in 1860s North Carolina, where Inman (Jude Law) strikes up a very short and awkward love affair with Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman) right before the onset of the American Civil War. They barely know each other, and yet, they are both driven by once again reuniting. Three years pass and their lives drift apart in such a way that they would barely recognize one another. The movie divides into two individual storylines--that of Inman, trying to return to his hometown while avoiding the guards trying to forcibly return him to the front lines of a lost war, and Ira, trying to make ends meet on her own after living a charmed life as an aristocrat. Through his journey, Inman comes to accept that he has changed from the humble man he once was--he'd seen death in all its forms, as well as the ugliness of desperation and the inability to fight temptation of the people around him. Meanwhile, Ada is joined on her ranch by Ruby (Renee Zellwegger), a tough girl raised like a boy by her drunken father. She helps her become self-sufficient in the year following her father's death. Soon they have to deal with the encroaching town guard, who become increasingly suspicious of houses harbouring runaways. Law is okay, but Kidman and Zellwegger are on Ultra Oscar High Alert. Kidman delivers her lines with the conviction of a 33-cent-per-minute phone sex operator. Zellwegger manages to add an obnoxiously phony accent to her one facial expression. Her character is independent and gruff (illustrated by the fact that she never bathes) with--get this--a sensitive side. There are great characters here, however, two of whom are woefully underwritten. Ray Winstone is great as Teague, the leader of Cold Mountain's town guard, who silently spells out his conflict between his hometown sensibilities and doing what he believes is best for the South's cause. And Philip Seymour Hoffman is very entertaining and underused as a womanizing town reverend who is chased from his hometown for his philadering. Jena Malone and Natalie Portman are also good in abbreviated roles. This movie would have been a lot better if Law and Kidman hadn't been confined to such simplistic, stock characters as the leads. I can appreciate love as a life-affirming devotion, but they could have given Kidman in particular a bit more room to grow. Ooh, she had to build her own fence--big loving deal. Being forced to be get your poo poo together for the sake of your survival is no more sympathetic than a teenager who whines about how unfair having to get a job is. But though Law's character is uninteresting, his journey is not. He doesn't exactly know where he's going or what he's going to find. All he really knows is that that's where he's decided to go and that nothing will stop him--and that takes a lot of balls. To have a task with that magnitude of self-importance is a rare thing, and given what I see from people everyday, I can respect the hell out of somebody who can act in such a noble way. In the end though, Cold Mountain is a decent story hindered by uninteresting characters. RATING: 3 PROS: Uplifting story with a satisfying ending, Nicole Kidman's tit CONS: Too much Kidman\Zellwegger, not enough Portman\Malone\Hoffman ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159365/
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May 8, 2004 20:39
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I really enjoyed this movie, although it may have been partially because of my interest in the Civil War at the time that I saw it. While certainly standard historical fiction fare (at the time I criticized it for being less-than historically immaculate), it was engaging and often gut-wrenching. A good film, plus Jack White, who adds .25 to my total score. Recommended 4.0/5
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May 9, 2004 06:09
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This movie was long, drawn out, and not very rewarding. The smaller supporting characters (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman) do a good job, as does Renee Zellweger (though her performance may have been a bit too aimed at Oscar). But the main characters and overall plot left me with nothing, and it's rare to care so little when a main character dies. Jack White was indeed awesome, though. 2.5/5
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May 9, 2004 21:01
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Some movies deal with trite material in a fresh and innovative way. Other movies deal with fresh and innovative material in a trite and boring way. Cold Mountain manages to deal with trite material in a completely trite and uninteresting way. I can't recall a movie so monumentally slow and excruciating since Titanic. The characters are either uninteresting or sadly undeveloped, the plot is disjointed between flashbacks, and the basic scory has been told and retold countless times. I am to this day completely puzzled by the fact that this movie actually made it to the Oscar nominations. 2/5.
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May 18, 2004 14:14
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One of those instances where the movie was better than the book. Not really an adventure movie, not really a love story, not really war epic, but an entertaining ride from beginning to end with some of the best acting you could buy. Even Jude Law impressed me. It suffers from being longer than it needed to be up to a point where you think a resolution to the movie would be impossible. But overall give it a go because it is drat entertaining. 3.5/5
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May 18, 2004 22:24
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