Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005) ***

Rating: 6/10 (5 May 2006)

I had a chance to watch this highly-acclaimed, award-winning film on the big screen while I was in Hollywood at the beginning of the year but, put off by the subject matter, I resisted doing so - until now. Well, while essentially a good film, I'll certainly join the chorus of those who consider it quite overrated! It's definitely not the first (or most significant) gay-themed American film, mainstream or otherwise - and, vis-à-vis my recent viewing of Nagisa Oshima's samurai picture, GOHATTO (1999), it's hardly the first to put this kind of spin on popular film genres either!
Anyway, the two men's relationship comes out of nowhere really (boredom and the extreme cold of the mountains, maybe?), especially since both state that they're not "queer"; besides, there's no attempt at an explanation of why it should have lasted two decades! This lack of conviction, therefore, coupled with the slow pace results in a deadly first half…but the film improves somewhat with its depiction of the two characters' drab family life.
The third and least interesting major "cowboy" film from Larry McMurtry (the others being HUD [1963] and THE LAST PICTURE SHOW [1971]), it's well-acted by an ensemble cast - even if Heath Ledger lays on the mumbling James Dean persona a bit too thick! In the end, Ang Lee's surprising choice as director eventually emerges a sound one, as he gives the film a welcome arty feel; another major asset is the melancholy score.