Too many flashbacks early on; too long

Rating: 6/10 (11 March 2016)

This is a film that I should like very much. It's about the Civil War...a topic of interest to me. It begins with the Battle Of The Crater, which I have visited and find fascinating. It has Jude Law at what I felt was his peak.
Unfortunately, the film is a mess...at least in the first third. It is, perhaps, the best example of the overuse of flashbacks that I have ever seen. It makes the plot confusing for the first third of the film. This film could have been done in normal progression, or with limited flashbacks, and it would have been much better. The director needs a lobotomy! Fortunately, once into the middle of the picture, the flashbacks end and it's a rather straight...but long...story (154 minutes). Honestly, the film could have been a 2 hour film without losing anything of substance.
Jude Law is excellent here as the Confederate soldier who deserts the war after being seriously injured in the Battle Of The Crater. In my view, this is Law's best performance in film.
Nicole Kidman...well, to be frank, I just don't connect with her acting. There were times here that I thought she was fairly good, but there were other times I found her performance shallow. Here she plays the young Charleston woman who moves to Cold Mountain and falls in love with Jude Law.
There's been some criticism of Renée Zellweger's acting here as a young sorta backwoods-type woman who helps Nicole Kidman on her farm after her father (a minister) dies. In the first few scenes when Zellweger sort of storms onto the scene, I do think the performance was almost comic-bookish, but over time she seems to calm down and bring some depth to the character.
Kathy Baker is excellent as an older woman of Cold Mountain who befriends Nicole Kidman. Her character pays dearly for her sons' going AWOL from the Confederate army.
Brendan Gleeson is interesting as Zellweger's father.
I was not impressed at all with Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance as an immoral minister.
I enjoyed Donald Sutherland as a minister, although his role is short-lived.
I watched this film twice, and had negative feelings about it both times. I'd say that unless the Civil War is of particular interest, pass it by.