Beautiful, intelligent and thought-provoking.

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 2006)

After failing with the well-intentioned but risible The Hulk, Ang Lee (not his first time directing a film with a gay romance  see also 1993's The Wedding Banquet) returns with one of his best films to date, a poignant and beautiful adaptation of E. Annie Proulx's short story, Brokeback Mountain.
Charting the twenty-year love affair of two men, the film features brilliant direction, stunning cinematography, a beautiful authentic-feeling score, and a dignified and well-written screenplay (courtesy of novelist Larry McMurtry and writing partner Diana Ossana) that judiciously adapts Proulx's story.
The film is also filled with superb performances from all its cast. Heath Ledger in particular gives a stunning performance. Initially I thought his portrayal was a bit too stiff and teeth clenching but, as the movie progresses, you realize it is the perfect portrayal of his character, Ennis del Mar. Ledger really grows into his character and gives method acting a grace and dignity reminiscent of Montgomery Clift. Co-star Jake Gyllenhaal also gives a fine performance, though unfortunately he will be overshadowed by Ledger: it's understandable, as the movie concentrates more on Ennis del Mar than Gyllenhaal Jack Twist, but Gyllenhaal is a talented young actor who gives a marvelous performance.
Both main stars are well supported by Michelle Williams (as excellent as she was in another gay-themed film, HBO's If These Walls Could Talk 2) and Anne Hathaway (giving surprising depth that you would not expect from the star of such films as Ella Enchanted and The Princess Diaries).
The film plays beautifully, never sensationalizing its so-called 'controversial' topic (really, in 2006?) and all the cast and crew display an obvious respect and passion for the subject.
If there are any low points, they are few - such as the cast is very young (not only the main leads but Hathaway and Williams in particular look too young) which stretches credibility as the twenty years slowly pass. However their fine performances just about make up for this and the filmmakers wisely didn't overdo the aging make-up (in fact they keep it to a bare minimum: young cast members playing much older characters can be hard to believe, but particularly so when they are obviously heavily made-up to look older!).
There's very little else to fault in this wonderful movie, though perhaps the passion between the two main characters could have been slightly steamier  you do get the feeling the producers were treading carefully; then again, had they steamed things up, maybe it would have felt too vociferous and controversy courting.
As things stand, this is a tender and heartbreaking masterpiece and one of the most beautiful films to come out of America in recent months. Though the film thugs wonderfully at your heartstrings, it never comes close to being one of those awful 'weepies' like Love Story.
Hopefully, the controversy surrounding this movie will stop. It's unnecessary at this point in time. This film deserves to be viewed, enjoyed and cherished on its own right, as a beautiful tale of a love affair repressed and hidden out of fear of society's reaction.
Brokeback Mountain is an intelligent and thought-provoking film that deserves to win all the Oscars it's nominated for. I truly hope it does.