A flawed film indeed

Rating: 8/10 (25 June 2014)

It's good for what it is, but Cold Mountain eradicates a lot of things that made Charles Frazier's novel more grounded. There is barely any attention paid to the slavery and atrocities that made the South so hell-like for those unfortunate to be born and sold into slavery. Inman is never shown to be remorseful except once ("I don't want to fight for a cause I don't believe in") but there is nothing more shown for that. He is portrayed as a pretty vapid, shallow mystery man of few words and even fewer perceptive thoughts. This works, and it makes his heroism all the better because of its stark contrast to his otherwise nondescript character. Renee Zellweger does a fine job as Ruby, and really is the heart and soul of this film. Nicole Kidman is excellent as always, although almost too otherworldly as a presence to be perceived as a riches-to-rags girl from the city. It makes her a joy to watch, though. Charlie Hunnam really steals the show with the few scenes he's in as a reinvention of Birch, this time around named Bosie, an albino with a hobby of inflicting serious pain on unlucky victims. Ray Winstone is effective as Teague, although he always plays sleazy, sneaky villains so this is no exception. The battle scenes and violent moments in the film are the most effective parts of the film. They really draw you in, and although are nowhere near as graphic or realistically gory as Saving Private Ryan (indeed, I would have appreciated more gore for realism's sake, people get gunned down and they have no wounds or blood sometimes) the drama is truly jarring as we see humanity at its very worst (boys and men being killed in the blink of an eye, stepped on, and crushed). The torture of Sally Swanger (Kathy Baker) is also an effective look at the brutality of the home guard, these scenes really work because the violence - although lacking in realism at times - is still well played in terms of shaking you up and reminding you times are grim. All in all, the emotional scenes are beautiful (if not a little hammy), the supernatural elements effective, the battle scenes excellent, the photography beautiful, and the performances more or less right on target. It's one of those trendy "epic violent movies" of 2003, which seemed like a real hot year for violent, fast-paced epic movies. Check it out, but don't expect a masterpiece of modern cinema. But it definitely hits the mark in a way that few filmmakers can do.