Not good enough

Rating: 5/10 (5 February 2005)

I was really disappointed in this movie. First of all, it's really long. I'm not saying that I can't enjoy a movie for more than an hour and a half, but the fact that the journey is an ordeal for the Jude Law character doesn't mean that it has to be an ordeal for the viewer too. I've seen long movies before, but these succeeded in keeping the viewer interested. That wasn't my feeling with "Cold Mountain".
The end was a downer too. It was a complete cliché. (SPOILER) I can't stand another movie in which the hero comes back and has sex with the heroine just once, only to die afterwards. And, of course, she gets pregnant! I'm starting to think that waiting for your lover for a long time, having sex with him and having him killed is an excellent method to improve fertility.
What disappointed me the most was that, in fact, the actors did a very good job. And, besides the clichés, the script depicts certain aspects of the war that are not usually shown, like the role of women or the cruelty away from the battlefield. I have the impression that these aspects were treated quite realistically, and that emphasizes the contrast with the glurge in the end.
I have to admit that, in terms of music and photography, it is a really beautiful movie. Nevertheless, that's not enough to make it a great movie.
That's what annoyed me so much: with great resources, Minghella didn't make a great movie.