Good movie!

Rating: 7/10 (10 January 2007)

Cold Mountain could have been more like Frasier's book, but what can you do.
The movie is beautifully shot, with great care given to the costumes and landscapes. The peaceful Southern countryside has an almost mystical air, of some far-off legend which cannot exist in the modern world. There is plenty of action and heroism, and a suitably grand battle scene to end things. It's all been done before, but this does not mean the movie is not entertaining.
The one problem I have had was the over-use of cheap devices to provoke emotion, which had the action bordering on melodrama on several occasions. We don't need slow, sad music and slow-motion footage every time some character dies or gets hurt. Subtly inserting emotional content is one thing, but this film takes it and beats you over the head with it, then shoves it down your throat. It felt rather insulting and unnecessary, almost like the sad equivalent of a laugh track. But perhaps it was just me.