The ravaged landscape of two hearts

Rating: 10/10 (12 December 2005)

I never believed that I would live to see the depiction of a heart-rending gay-men based passionate,doomed love story - and yet this is what the director Ang Lee and the superlative cast have gifted to me.
The intense, frustrated yet uniquely fulfilled selfless love of Jack Twist for Ennis Del Mar nailed me to my seat. Ang Lee's direction is faultless as are all the performances, including all supporting roles, and particularly the depiction towards the end of the film of Jack Twist's knowing, loving mother.
Heath Ledger's Ennis collapses in seismic passion because of his inability to absorb the depth and beauty of Jack Twist's love for him - and while the review I read of Heath Ledger's portrayal deservedly hailed Ledger, for me it was Jake Gyllenhall's performance as Jack Twist that propelled the movie.
I recommend viewers to read Stephen Holden's review in The New York Times, available on line. And while I rarely write reviews, I am doing so now as an act of homage to those who created this remarkable film.