An emotional experience not to be missed

Rating: 9/10 (29 December 2003)

Cold Mountain is a very moving and powerful movie. I was most impressed with Anthony Minghella's ability to clearly capture the emotional plight of a variety of characters on screen. Jude Law was great as Inman. The internal nature of this character makes this an extremely difficult role, and Jude succeeded most of the time in conveying the emotions of Inman. Nicole Kidman was good but not great in her role as Ada Monroe. I thought the accent and the fact that she is Nicole Kidman made her seem out of place at time, but overall she gives an effective performance. Her transformation and ability to not beg for sympathy from the viewers was most impressive to me. Rene Zellweger really stole the show. She was in total control of her character (Ruby Thewes) and served as not only witty but really spiritual relief. Her character was so complex and well developed it was very easy to forget the fact that she was being played by Rene. The supporting cast (Kathy Baker, Natalie Portman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Brendan Gleeson, Eileen Adkins) in general was incredible. They really shaped the movie as a whole. Overall I believe the message of this movie came through in a strong and powerful way. A true must see 9/10.