Fails structure wise.

Rating: 4/10 (5 September 2010)

The decision to tell this story in flashbacks for much of its beginning does not work to it's advantage as a film. Since I have not read the book, I am not sure how the author structured it to begin with. But flashbacks are always tricky to work with, it has to be done in the right way. Patricularly in films you have to set up the story and characters before you begin throwing flashbacks at the audience.
That's my major complaint about "Cold Mountian". We get thrown into a love story without first knowing the people it involves, so why should we care? There are some good scenes scattered here and there, and it's a beautiful film to watch; wonderful landscapes, detailed, pretty clothes and attractive people. And the war is portrayed in a respectful manner I guess. Yet, I cannot feel anything for the main characters. It's not that I'm not moved by some scenes, but it's never about their love, it's more about the circumstances of war, and the more interesting character of Ruby.
It moves way to quickly, especially in the beginning, for the mood and the care to set in. It feels like a whole 30 minutes or more is missing from the setup. I'm sure the story works better in the book, but it does not hold together as a film. It gets boring as soon as it stops portraying war and goes for the main love story. Might have been better as a mini series.
In short: A love story seldom works if you don't care about the lovers. And "Cold Mountian" does not give their lovers a chance.