Forbidden love, rehashed again

Rating: 5/10 (6 May 2006)

I almost think I have to apologize for not liking this movie as much as the apparent majority on IMDb. Usually when a film generates the controversy that Brokeback did, I want to see it and usually "get" what the fuss is all about. Not this time. Yes, it is beautifully photographed. But the places chosen (Wyoming, Alberta) are inherently so beautiful to begin with, even I could have made a great looking film. Yes, you have two men whose love affair is forbidden by their very culture, but how many forbidden love plots can we have? The plot was not that extraordinary, you had to know one or both were going to die before the end of the movie. And guessing that it would be Jack Twist was fairly easy since he had the more "dangerous" behavior to begin with. I will give Heath Ledger credit, he certainly capture the quiet dignity of the cowboy breed and was able to combine it with the torture he felt with his sexuality and his loves. The squinty stare, the confident gait, he really got the true presence of who a cowboy is. Jake Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, seemed like a frat boy out of his element. I just could not buy into his character. I usually am s blubbering sobbing idiot with a death in a love relationship type of movie, gay, straight or otherwise. This one just didn't do it. I applaud Ang Lee, producers and writers of the film for their mature and thoughtful treatment of the subject, but it just wasn't that good.