'Mountain' Stands Tall

Rating: 8/10 (17 April 2004)

Despite the reviews of this movie and its lack of major Oscar recognition, I thought it was one of the best movies of 2003. It is not only beautiful to look at, but it is both sad and hopeful at the same time. Every scene is equally as important as the last and in the end it feels like you have actually seen the lives of these people, felt their pain and understood them through it all.
The great novel that this was adapted from is just the beginning of many amazing elements that came together to make Cold Mountain a success. The screenplay does not feel like too much has been crammed into in but loosely enjoys the story that it is telling. The dialogue feels right and even though all the actors could have improved on their accents, this flaw seems to fade into the background because the actors don't place the emphasis on their words to tell the story but rather use them as one of their many tools instead of the only one as is the mistake in so many movies.
And as for those actors who couldn't create the accents...well, they can create characters. Nicole lives up to her title as Academy Award winner and gives a better performance than the one that got her that title. Jude Law's character is the simplest and he knows it. You won't see him stealing any scenes from his co-stars but that is what is supposed to be. Renee is the polar opposite of that. She is the comic relief for the film and she does it with grace. Her loud and very southern character of Ruby fits her well, but then again, so does everything else she does. She just further shows us that she is one of very few actors working today with a range that has yet to be defined. She is the focus of our attention whether we want her to be or not.
The entire film feels very natural and is one of the years best. ****/****