Like all adaptations, it falls a little short.

Rating: 9/10 (10 January 2006)

Firstly, I would like to say that I am a HUGE fan of Annie Proulx's short story. I must have read the damn thing fifty times. She is such a gifted writer, able to sum up Ennis' whole life with just one beautiful, poetic sentence. I seriously fell in love with the story and was so excited when I discovered that they were making a movie version.
Ang Lee was definitely the right man for the job as he is such a gifted director. I've been a fan of his since I saw the Ice Storm back in '97 and his cast are almost spot on. Jake Gyllenhaal is a perfect Jack Twist, just the way I pictured him and his last scene with Ennis is probably the best piece of acting I have seen in a long time. Michelle Williams' Alma was also a revelation - she sure has come a long way since Dawson's Creek. Anne Hathaway was good as Lureen, a character completely padded out for the movie. My only problem was Heath Ledger. He's just not Ennis. OK, he plays him as the reserved and monosyllabic person that he is but he's just lacking something. I am not disputing that he wasn't amazing (and very brave) but there just wasn't Ennis'... sadness, for lack of a better word. Also, I felt that the passion between the two was lacking somewhat.
Despite these small faults it was still an amazing movie, and I hope that Gyllenhaal and Williams pick up Oscars for their amazing performances. Well done to all involved.