A Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2005)

I saw this excellent, stirring, and haunting film on opening day last week and had to return to see it again yesterday. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. It's beautiful and it's profoundly sad. The moments of emotion are so intense as the build-up in between is long and fraught with difficulty. Heath Ledger is gaining well deserved claim (if he doesn't garner the Oscar then he's just been cheated -- sorry Philip Seymour Hoffman) but also Jake Gyllenhaal brings a sparkling performance. The chemistry between those two is simply awesome to observe. It is now my mission to get everyone I know into that theater to see this masterpiece. Those who characterize this film as a "gay cowboy" movie are just missing the point entirely; it is a time honored love story of Shakespearean proportions.