Broken Mountain

Rating: 6/10 (20 January 2006)

Here, as I see it, is the problem with the film: Flaws. Not a spectacular amount, but enough.
For starters, there is no initial tension between Ennis and Jack. It almost seems like they just decided, due to an accidental embrace in the night, to have sex. There was almost no sexual tension between them from the start, and their bond seems forced throughout the rest of the movie. I never felt like there was real passion there.
The biggest failing of the film, however, is its length. This would be a great 100-minute film...unfortunately, it's 134 minutes. Some of the characters seem two-dimensional and some of the plot threads dangle like parts of a badly-woven sheet. For instance, the man who invites Jack up to the cabin for "fishing" appears just a little too convenient.
Undoubtedly, the best part is centered just before the end, when the friction building between Jack and Ennis comes to a head, and concludes with Jack's death. Ang Lee, however, doesn't let it end shortly after that. He drags it on, much like the rest of the film, until any sense of emotional connection with the characters drops off and the viewer is left with a disconnected feeling of confusement. Confused, as in "Why did I spend over two hours on something this banal?" Perhaps with a little more time in the editing room, a better build-up to the relationship, and less time prattling, this could have been a really quality film.
Unfortunately, the politics surrounding it force this film to be spectacular, rather than merely bad love story. So be it, hindsight, such as it is, is 20/20.