Review: Cold Mountain
I liked it. It’s not a great film by any stretch, but sometimes I don’t much care for great films. I was entertained and moved, so I guess I got my moneys worth. The concept of lovers who’s love is based on not much more than aquaintence and one kiss, going through extreme hardships to stay true and reunite, stands in sharp contrast to our concept of love and faithfulness today. The epic story of the journey had me wondering what Classic epic it was patterned after (I guess I should have paid more attention in school). The photography was great as well, I want to hike those hills. No wonder Linman wanted to get back to Cold Mountain. The battle scenes were excellent and provided the neccessary testosterone content. As my wife said, “Love, war, something for everyone.”
The acting was strong, especially from the supporting cast. Rene Zellweger is probably a lock for best supporting actress in a chameleon like performance remeniscent of Billy Bob’s shape changing. Natalie Portman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Kathy Baker are also outstanding. Kidman and Law were adequate, doing a great job of looking great, but I don’t think they mined the potential of the roles.
Which brings me to my conclusion (thank God, you say!) For a story full of powerful emotional content, in the end I found myself wondering why I wasn’t more powerfully moved. So, in terms of Hollywood epics, pretty good, but no Dr. Zivago.
