Prizes for Ang Lee and Rodrigo Prieto, not the Film

Rating: 8/10 (30 January 2006)

Okay, I'll admit it up front. Watching two men make love is not my thing. And I find it difficult to believe that a fumbling sexual encounter between a repressed cowboy (Heath Ledger) and a somewhat more eager bisexual cowboy (Jake Gyllenhaal) can lead to a love affair lasting many years through both men's marriages. Heath Ledger does quite a credible job as a silent, tortured cowpoke -- they are actually there to herd sheep, not cattle. But I wouldn't give him the prizes he seem destined to carry off. The photography and the setting are what elevate this movie. Ang Lee and Rodrigo Prieto have taken full advantage of the Wyoming landscape that is at once gorgeous and forbidding. Odd that the all present cowboy movies of a recent generation have become a vehicle for portraying gay relationships. I suspect that the awards this film is certain to earn are mainly for the story line. Hollywood is like that. If it were up to me, "Brokeback Mountain" would finish far behind "Good Night and Good Luck" for best picture honors and David Strathairn would take the Oscar for best male performance.