Misery Mountain

Rating: 7/10 (13 January 2004)

Adapted from the much-loved novel by Charles Frazier, `Cold Mountain' has been a welcome arrival to the big screen. Acclaimed director/screenwriter Anthony Minghella, thankfully, has taken on the responsibility of bringing forth the tangled story of love and war to a visual reality. May it be war on an epic scale or war on a personal level Minghella knows precisely how to capture the moment. And even with the abundance of splendid scene-scapes and backdrops spread throughout the film the key achievement `Cold Mountain' exhibits is the emotion and passion harnessed within the characters.
Clearly the heart of the story is one that viewers are more than familiar with. Hope, loss and love, all up against overwhelming odds, it's hardly original. But, you will find satisfaction by being able to identify with the emotional quandary of these characters. Once you get to know them you slip into the story and enjoy yourself all the more. But Minghella has some trouble getting you there. The movie starts off slowly as exposition and character development is needed to boost the rest of the film. It's all stuff that is essentially needed but it's just a little dreary at times. On top of that the need to get closer to true history means that the tone gets quite depressing. This is only strengthened by the characters who the majority are driven by a sad coating of misery, sin or defeat in their lives. Then add the Confederacy losing the war and you don't have a very happy place to be. Make no mistake about it Minghella has made a serious drama with a somewhat relaxed momentum in the telling. But if it's authenticity that he wanted then he has done a marvelous job. It's just that, in this case, reality can really bring you down.
Performances are all A-class. The two leads, Nicole Kidman as Ada and Jude Law as Inman, are truly great actors. The roles themselves are not the best we've seen but they work well within context of the story. RenÃ©e Zellweger's character, Ruby, strikes a sudden change to the pace and grim guise the rest of the movie holds. I found myself liking all of Ruby's scenes but am still trying to figure out if it's because she's the inversion of an overly dim film or because she just sticks out like a sore thumb. Either way I think the film would have probably fell completely stagnate if it weren't for Zellweger's lively portrayal.
`Cold Mountain' is not exactly Anthony Minghella's greatest effort but definitely one of his finest. This is a great story made with tremendous care by a large handful of master filmmakers. It's a little bleak and sluggish for most of the time but done in reflection to the literary source and the authenticity of the story. Ironically, it's hard to imagine it done in any other way. Despite some minor announces you will have a hard time not enjoying yourself. In the end this is a good entertaining few hours. I'd even go as far as saying it's a must see film, because you really must see it to make your own judgment.
Score - 3 out of 5