Only Renee Zellweger maintains a Southern accent in this laughable attempt by director Anthony Minghella ("The English Patient") at filming Charles Frazier's love story set amidst the turmoil of the Civil War.
Cold Mountain (2003)
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Reviews Counted:220
Fresh:156
Rotten:64
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: The well-crafted Cold Mountain has an epic sweep and captures the horror and brutal hardship of war.
Theatrical Release:Dec 25, 2003 Wide
Box Office: $95,589,607
Synopsis: Directed by Anthony Minghella (THE ENGLISH PATIENT), this Civil War saga addresses romance, friendship, and the ravages of war--both in the field and on the home front. Far more than a simple love... Directed by Anthony Minghella (THE ENGLISH PATIENT), this Civil War saga addresses romance, friendship, and the ravages of war--both in the field and on the home front. Far more than a simple love story, Minghella's film captures the horrors of war for both those fighting it, and for those left behind. Based on the Charles Frazier novel, this is a tale of hope, longing, redemption, second chances, and faith. Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman) is a proper lady who accompanies her preacher father (Donald Sutherland) to Cold Mountain, North Carolina. She waits for her love, W.P. Inman (Jude Law)--a sensitive man with little use for many words--to return from war. In the process she learns basic survival skills and finds strength from no-nonsense Ruby (Renée Zellweger), a spitfire who can work the land as well as any man. Meanwhile, wounded Inman has had enough of war and killing, and is slowly working his way back to Ada despite the perils of being a Confederate deserter. Law and Kidman are genuinely touching as two virtual strangers who invest all of their faith in each other, and Zellweger is astounding as the uncultured but compassionate Ruby. Rounding out the cast is an impressive array of actors, including Brendan Gleeson, Ray Winstone, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jack White (of the White Stripes), Kathy Baker, Giovanni Ribisi, and many others. [More]
Starring: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Donald Sutherland
Starring: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Donald Sutherland, Brendan Gleeson, Ray Winstone, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kathy Baker, Natalie Portman, Jack White, Ethan Suplee, Charlie Hunnam, Giovanni Ribisi, Eileen Atkins, Melora Walters, James Gammon, Lucas Black, Cillian Murphy, James Rebhorn, Jena Malone
Director: Anthony Minghella
Director: Anthony Minghella
Screenwriter: Anthony Minghella
Producer: Albert Berger, William Horberg, Sydney Pollack, Ron Yerxa
Composer: Gabriel Yared
Studio: Miramax Films
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Reviews for Cold Mountain
Despite its pretentious, episodic structure and emotional restraint, Cold Mountain retains its tension through multi-layered character development.
Cold Mountain is a major achievement, studded with star performances from its entire cast, offering those who are prepared to experience it...
Law interprets his laconic character so well that the lack of chemistry between Inman and Ada made me care very little if their romance was ever resurrected.
A kitschy, lugubrious and deeply unhistorical exercise in self-congratulation.
Kidman and Law share almost no screen time together, which harms the film. Still, there are moments that are sufficiently ablaze, and make "Cold Mountain" a worthwhile diversion.
A movie of gorgeous moments alternating with many more that feel literate to the point of inducing boredom
If the love story is asked to carry more weight than it can bare, at least this is a film of rich measure and ambition.
Grim in places, and at times gratuitous, this is still terrific five-hanky drama with top-flight technical work, horrifically spectacular action, subtle introspection, rich characters and a love story to die for.
As he did with The English Patient, director Minghella performs a miraculous juggling act, balancing his epic, sweeping story with the subtleties of character and detail that make Cold Mountain breathe.
'Above all, Cold Mountain is a story of women -- abandoned, starving, and learning to rely only on themselves and each other.'
A tough movie to sit through but a powerful one nonetheless and whilst its not the great film that it so longs to be, it is a strong journey worth taking if your prepared for it.
There are intimations of a genuinely moving film; in its best moments, Cold Mountain is a fantasy that — like the Lord of the Rings movies — aspires to Shakespearean heights.
The scenes feel like dominoes -- they once stood in a progression with room to breathe between, but now they're down, overlapping each other, their potential energy stolen.
Latest News for Cold Mountain
March 18, 2008:
Anthony Minghella: A Tomatometer Retrospective
English filmmaker Anthony Minghella had a sparse but critically acclaimed career by the time of his passing today at the age of 54. We turn to the six films Minghella directed,... More...
March 18, 2008:
Anthony Minghella: 1954-2008
Anthony Minghella, the Oscar-winning director of The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Cold Mountain, has passed away at the age of 54. More...
December 12, 2007:
Walter Murch on Youth Without Youth: The RT Interview (With Exclusive Photos and Clips!)
This week, Francis Ford Coppola's Youth Without Youth hits theaters in limited release. The tale of a writer who becomes young again after being struck by lightning is a... More...
February 07, 2007:
A searing and haunting period saga with a mournful, universal anti-war lament. ![]()
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