Punches thrown, punches pulled

Rating: 5/10 (3 January 2006)

To tell the truth I expected more and got a lot less. Not a great love story from any pov. The movie, like its prairie backdrop reminded me of that old joke where two cowpokes lean over a broken fence: "Sure looks like someone cut a hole in that fence alright. Sure looks like someone cut a hole in that fence alright. Sure looks like someone cut a hole in that fence alright." And so on into the night. The film dragged until the last 20 minutes or so when the emotional heat was finally turned up from medium to high. Not enough to save an otherwise dull film. I also think that the filmmaker pulled his punches when dealing with the gay bashing theme. It was very lightly touched upon and aside from the one graphic flashback was given short shrift dramatically, particularly at the end. I'm sure this was a case of treading lightly so as not to alienate even more viewers who might already be put off by the gay theme. A shame really because that's where the real guts and pain of the story lay. A play it safe film that gives us two not very interesting characters who while married with children fall in love and suffer the consequences -- mildly. I think Ang Lee gave us a more compelling love story in "Sense and Sensibility" and that's saying something given Austen's proclivity for repressed emotions and characters who are never able to say what they truly mean or feel. I confess to feeling more sympathy for Leger's betrayed wife than for the two cowboys in love.