Hookless.

Rating: 6/10 (18 January 2004)

**Warning! Spoilers Ahead!**
"Cold Mountain," based on the best-selling novel, tells a love story set in the South against the backdrop of the Civil War. Inman (Jude Law) plays a Confederate soldier who abandons his comrades to return to the woman he loves, Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman). Meanwhile back at the ranch, Ada has enlisted the help of mountain woman Ruby Thewes (Renee Zellweger) to survive.
Right off the bat, therein lies the problem; the story that is intended to propel the film doesn't fulfill its purpose or promise. The first act love tale between the characters of Jude Law and Nicole Kidman isn't developed into a convincing relationship. Thus, without the necessary screen time or situations for the two to truly fall in love, the film has the unfortunate feel of a typical teenage romance, in which the two lovers fall for each other in a ridiculously short amount of time, based largely on looks and infatuation. The entire plot is based upon that hook, which provides each character with motivation to keep on keeping on. Rendered hook-less, "Cold Mountain" still looks great, but doesn't engage as great movies do, instead plodding along through the first hour.
Then Ruby shows up, infusing "Cold Mountain" with the vitality it desperately needed. Zellwegger, continuing her remarkable run of stellar role choices, effectively provides the comic relief while remaining entirely within her character as a woman well-acquainted with the physical and emotional hardships of life. Despite being the less attractive of the two female leads, she maintains a magnetism that outshines even Kidman's strong acting chops. Zellwegger will likely earn an Oscar nomination and completely deserves such an honor.
The rest of the cast ranges from solid but not spectacular (Law and Kidman) to surprisingly good (several stars in unusual roles). But the most entertaining aspect of the film was the long list of highly recognizable faces in minor roles. Many people will notice six or more "names" in parts that are slightly more than cameos, along with another half dozen faces that will be familiar to regular movie-goers. All of these actors turn in very good supporting work that colorfully fills in the background of the film.

That background, both on the screen and behind the scenes, may very well garner a basketful of Academy Award nods, and while I would dispute other acting nominations and any screenwriting award, I acknowledge the technical quality of the film. In his director role, Anthony Minghella ("The Talented Mr. Ripley," "The English Patient") has produced a quality presentation of a sprawling book, but as I have said, I point the finger at his adaptation, which failed to adequately evoke emotional involvement in the romantic aspects.
With Romania largely filling in for the South, John Seale (Oscar winner for "English Patient," "Witness") lenses a good-looking film, and that beauty contrasts starkly with the often excessive violence on screen. Composer Gabriel Yared, another Minghella favorite, again takes a relatively minimalistic approach, similar to his score for "Possession," mixing Southern strains with typical film music to complement the film well. The score doesn't stand out like many of the year's dramatic work, but that's not a bad thing.
Bottom Line: The film doesn't live up to its hype. When a movie aims high and misses, it often falls below what might have been had it aimed lower and succeeded. That is the case with Cold Mountain; although signs of brilliance were evident, one glaring off note holds the movie back at all times. A marginal thumbs up at best. 6/10