Dramatic, heavy war film

Rating: 4/10 (10 December 2017)

Civil War fans will find a favorite in the romantic drama Cold Mountain. Yes, there's violence, death, and unbearable tension, but that's what you expect when you buckle in for a movie that takes place during the Civil War! This one has a compelling story, good acting, and very authentic production values, so if you like this genre, it's worth it.
Jude Law is a Southern soldier who, after being wounded, decides to risk being shot as a deserter and travel home to see his sweetheart Nicole Kidman. While he comes across helpful people, like Natalie Portman, during his journey, he spends most of his time avoiding the bad guys who are out for his head, namely Ray Winstone and Charlie Hunnam. Nicole pines away for Jude and finds it difficult to manage on her own until the feisty, Southern-cliché-ridden tomboy Renée Zellweger shows up and helps her. With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kathy Baker, Brendan Gleeson, Donald Sutherland, Cillian Murphy, Eileen Atkins, and Giovanni Ribisi in the supporting cast, you know you'll be in for some quality performances, even if the overall aura of the film isn't enjoyable.
The most famous element to Cold Mountain, besides the very graphic sex scenes and Nicole Kidman's needless nudity, is the make-up Oscar it won for Renée Zellweger, who had lost the gold the year before for her tour-de-force performance in Chicago. As a native Southerner, playing the tell-it-like-it-is Southerner in Cold Mountain was not a stretch for her acting abilities, and even though I'm sure she was very happy to receive her statue, I'm sure she realized it was a make-up Oscar.
Be prepared when you go into it that the movie's a very heavy drama, more on par with Free State of Jones than Gone with the Wind. It's pretty upsetting at times, and will more than likely leave you unsettled in the years after you watch it. My brother cites this as one of the films he wishes he hadn't seen, but I'm used to the type so I wasn't too phased. Use your own judgement whether or not you can handle it, but by all means, put the kiddies to bed before watching it! Kiddy warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to nudity, violence, and graphic sex scenes, I wouldn't let my kids watch it. Also, there may or may not be a rape scene.