Cold Mountain (2003)

Must See Movie...

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Cold MountainA typical love story set in a war zone that wanders onto the same lash and delivers it convincingly but unfortunately its the same meal we have been having for the course of its runtime. Anthony Minghella; also the director of The English Patient, is back with a similar project no matter how much admirable, in the end it all seems been-here-done-that. The feature scores majestically on performance level where Nicole Kidman, Jude Law and Renee Zellweger are doing some of their career's best work. Cold Mountain; being a character driven feature, goes deep into it where the priority is set to project the bonding between the lead characters (Jude restraining himself from being seduced and Nicole suffering through loss was the perfect way to bind this parallel roles on screen) which is fulfilled utterly by the script.

Cold Mountain touches all of the social issues that occured at the end of the Civil War leading into the era of Reconstruction. Ada (Nicole Kidman) falls in love with a shy man Inman (Jude Law). Inman gets sent off into the war, as a Confederate soldier, where the whole thing explodes, and leds him on a journey to find his one true love Ada back at Cold Mountain. Inman faces a perilous journey where he is captured, held at gunpoint, as well as dealing with prostitutes and the homes guardsmen of the South. The movie starts out very strong with the Battle of Petersburg, but quickly fades and slows down leaving audiences bored. However, director Anthony Minghella did display a work that was very unique regarding a Civil War film. Technically, this film is very pleasing. Minghella captured correct lighting to show the emotions of the era, and particular characters, yet did not cast properly. Renee Zellweger's character of Ruby was the only believable character in the film, when it came to the "look" and accent. Overall the film was good, but just couldn't live up to the greatest Civil War romance movie of all time; Gone With the Wind.

Cold mountain is a film that addresses big issues like romance, friendship and the harsh effects of war. It shows these things in a very open and raw way. The film's best thing that it has going for it is the excellent performances by the A list cast. Nicole Kidman is an extremely talented actress and she turns in a great performance as Ada. Jude Law also stars as Ada's love interest, even though he rarely shares the screen with Kidman, the majority of the film focuses on them living apart longing to see one another again. And that journey to return to each other is really what makes the romance great here. We also have Renee Zellweger. This is the performance that earned her an academy award. Zellweger is wonderful here, she plays a very blunt, country girl that helps out Ada with the farm. The movie's best acted moments are by Zellweger. She truly makes the viewer feel the raw emotion in her performance. The script is very well written. I love how it isn't melodramatic but it still manages to create emotion. Seeing these characters and the tragic events they go through will make you care deeply for them. But it isn't just that they go through junk, it's how they survive and the connections they have in one another. That's really what Cold Mountain is all about. It's about connections with people and learning how to keep going. 8/10. I recommend this one!

A romanticized civil war film with a fantastic cast and a heartfelt story. The length of the film might run a little long for some, but I enjoyed all of it. The scenery was stunning and it has turned out to be one of my most favorite films. I absolutely adore Renee Zellweger in this film and find it chillingly haunting. A sadly beautiful ending, this movie will stay with me for a very long time. The length of the film might run a little long for some, but I enjoyed all of it. Why was this not nominated for 2003 Best Picture? Obviously The Return of the King was superior than any other film during that year, but Cold Mountain is definitely a better film than both Master and Commander, and Seabiscuit, which were both Best Picture nominees. This truly is a great film. I recommend it!