Haunting, Heartbreaking, and Powerful

Rating: 10/10 (11 December 2005)

First of all, I'd like to state that this movie transcends politics, religion, agendas, and even the mis-marketed "gay cowboy" tag-line. It is a movie about two people and their undeniable emotions for each other.
With that said, I am still haunted (like many other viewers out there) by Brokeback Mountain a day after seeing it. Not too many movies moved me emotionally like this movie did. In case you were wondering, the other movies that affected me like this were Schindler's List, The Green Mile, and A Very Long Engagement. Let me break this movie down to it's basics: Direction: Ang Lee has crafted a masterpiece out of Brokeback Mountain. I've only seen "1.5" movies by him (Crouching Tiger and parts of The Wedding banquet) and wasn't super impressed. Now I thank him for making such an efficient, concise, and superbly directed movie. With the help of the screenplay writers, the pace of the movie was just right (maybe a little hurried in some spots), the cinematography was breathtaking, the emotions captured on film was brutally honest and powerful, and the story was faithfully adapted from Annie Proulx's short story. He deserves an Oscar nomination (or even win) for this effort.
Acting: I've also never been impressed by Heath Ledger's resume in the past (A Knight's Tale, Four Feathers, etc...), but he simply shocked me with his performance in Brokeback Mountain. I never thought he could portray such nuanced and subtle emotions, through his accented mumbling (some people may need subtitles to understand what he's saying =P), than he did here. The fear and conflicting emotions that Heath's Ennis del Mar experiences were fully transferred to me watching in the audience. I've always enjoyed Jake Gyllenhaal's performances (Donnie Darko, Jarhead, and even Bubble Boy/Day After Tomorrow), and his Jack Twist was a perfect foil to Ennis. While many will argue that Jake's role was an "easier" one, I disagree with that conclusion. I believe Jake's character was just as complex because his Jack Twist had to be the perfect foil to Ennis. Jack's extroversion and playfulness balanced by an inner longing, sorrow, and frustration that was beautifully portrayed in this movie. Both of the lead characters deserve Oscar nominations for their performances and I will be watching out for their future films from now on.
While many reviewers were impressed by Michelle William's Alma character, I thought it was good but nothing outstanding. Maybe I've seen too many "suffering wife" type characters or just wasn't drawn into her performance completely? I don't know. Anne Hathaway was definitely brilliant in the final telephone scene, and she played her character pretty well. Otherwise, the rest of the cast acted very well and the movie gel-ed together perfectly because of the supporting actors.
All in all, I strongly recommend this movie for those of you who are willing to watch it with an open mind and no judgments. It is not a movie with an agenda and the story is brutally honest and powerful. Like many reviews already said, it's about two people who love each other, no matter their sex or sexuality. It's also about being honest with your emotions and showing the people you care about that you love them. This movie has earned a spot on my list of great movies, and I hope it will on yours too.