Simply a great love story

Rating: 9/10 (29 March 2006)

When I came round to watching this film my fear was that this would simply be an average love story that had been massively over-hyped because of the star cast and of course the homo-sexuality that had caused so much controversy. Thankfully this fear turned out to be unfounded as this is in fact a beautiful film. Brokeback Mountain boasts a wonderful story, breathtaking scenery and above all a magnificent cast. While all actors and actresses do a wonderful job in portraying the story of two gay cowboys kept apart by the necessity to live a "normal" life, it is Heath Ledger who shines above all else in this film. The heart of this film lies in the dilemma that Ernis Del Mar (Ledger) has to face, one life he cannot allow, his love for Jack Twist (Gyllenhall), and the other life, that of a family man, he is not really made for. Ledger is virtually unrecognisable from the pretty boy characters he normally portrays, as he grabs the audiences hearts with his not-so-bright, rugged Texan character, struggling to come to terms with his dual life. Jake Gyllenhall is excellent also, while Ann Hathaway goes along way to prove she is truly an actress of tremendous ability and shake of her teen actress past. Director Ang Lee does a tremendous job of creating a wonderful love story without sensationalising the home-sexuality of Twist and Del Mar. Instead this film is about the love of two human being for each other with a story that put Brokeback Mountain up there with the best romantic films ever made. This film deserves to be viewed as such and not as a bi-polarised political statement pitting "Liberal" Hollywood against the bible bashers.