Cold Mountain (2003)
Average Rating: 6.7/10
Reviews Counted: 223
Fresh: 158 | Rotten: 65
The well-crafted Cold Mountain has an epic sweep and captures the horror and brutal hardship of war.
Average Rating: 7.4/10
Critic Reviews: 45
Fresh: 40 | Rotten: 5
The well-crafted Cold Mountain has an epic sweep and captures the horror and brutal hardship of war.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 188,853
My Rating
Movie Info
Based on the novel by Charles Frazier, Anthony Minghella's star-studded Cold Mountain is a sweeping tale set in the final days of the American Civil War. Jude Law stars as Inman, a young soldier who, despite an injury, is struggling to make his way home to Cold Mountain, NC, where his beloved Ada (Nicole Kidman) awaits. In Inman's absence, Ada befriends Ruby (Renée Zellweger), who helps her keep up her late father's farm. Meanwhile, in his travels, Inman encounters a menagerie of interesting
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Cast
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Jude Law
Inman -
Nicole Kidman
Ada Monroe -
Renée Zellweger
Ruby Thewes -
Eileen Atkins
Maddy -
Brendan Gleeson
Stobrod -
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Reverend Veasey -
Natalie Portman
Sara -
Giovanni Ribisi
Junior -
Donald Sutherland
Monroe -
Ray Winstone
Teague -
Kathy Baker
Sally Swanger -
James Gammon
Esco Swanger -
Charlie Hunnam
Bosie -
Jack White
Georgia -
-
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Melora Walters
Lila -
Lucas Black
Oakley -
Taryn Manning
Shyla -
Tom Aldredge
Blind Man -
James Rebhorn
Doctor -
Mark Jeffrey Miller
Sheffield -
Robin Mullins
Mrs. Castlereagh -
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Jay Tavare
Swimmer -
Jen Apgar
Dolly
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All Critics (225) | Top Critics (45) | Fresh (167) | Rotten (66) | DVD (42)
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.
Top CriticA film of many excellences undermined by a flawed narrative.
Cold is right -- Anthony Minghella's pretty, star-studded adaptation of the bestselling Civil War romance never makes it above freezing.
At 154 minutes, Cold Mountain is long and seems long, at times inspired, at times merely dutiful. But in most of the important ways, it succeeds.
Cold Mountain is the equivalent of comfort food: old-fashioned, earthy, satisfying.
It's enough of a spectacle to enjoy. It's too bad the stars are little more than serviceable and give the movie title an irony it could certainly do without.
If you own the 2009 Blu-ray, and you're happy with it, there's no need to subsidize the present custodians of Miramax's catalogue.
Excellent but upsetting, only for older teens.
There are minor merits. mostly handsome production values, to Mingehlla's screen version of the acclaimed novel.
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.
So utterly manufactured for Oscar, it was nauseating.
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 searing and haunting period saga with a mournful, universal anti-war lament.
A love story likely to leave you cold.
A movie of gorgeous moments alternating with many more that feel literate to the point of inducing boredom
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.
Something to mildly admire rather than embrace.
Audience Reviews for Cold Mountain
Super Reviewer
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- Ada Monroe: I wouldn't go near that rooster if I was you. He's the devil I'm sure of it. He's Lucifer himself.
- Ruby Thewes: Why I depise a floggin' rooster.
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- Ada Monroe: I wouldn't go near that rooster if I were you. He's the devil I'm sure of it. He's Lucifer himself.
- Ruby Thewes: Why I despise a flogging rooster!
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- Ruby Thewes: Number one - shut this, it's freezin'. Number two - shut that door, it's freezin'. I'm layin' on my back, with two fingers poked my ears tryin' to shut out who's got a bag of diamonds and who's carryin' a tray. If you wanna get three feet up a bull's ass, listen to what sweethearts whisper to each other.
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- Ada Monroe: Ruby... I'm sorry...
- Ruby Thewes: Every piece of this is a man's bullshit... they called this war a cloud over the land but they made the weather then they stand in in the rain and say 'Shit! It's raining!' [starts to cry]
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- Ada Monroe: Ruby... I'm sorry...
- Ruby Thewes: Every piece of this is a ma's bullshit... they called this war a cloud over the land but they made the weather then they stand in in the rain and say 'Shit! It's raining!' [starts to cry]
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- Ruby Thewes: Number one - shut this door, it's freezing. Number two - shut that door, it's freezing. I'm laying on my back, with my fingers poked in my ears trying to shut out who's got a bag of diamonds and who's carrying a tray. If you want to get three feet up a bull's ass, listen to what sweethearts whisper to each other.
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Latest News on Cold Mountain
October 31, 2012:
Olivia Wilde, Hailee Steinfeld, and Nicole Beharie Enter The Keeping RoomThe trio signs up for a Civil War drama.
March 18, 2008:
Anthony Minghella: A Tomatometer RetrospectiveEnglish filmmaker Anthony Minghella had a sparse but critically acclaimed career by the time of his...
March 18, 2008:
Anthony Minghella: 1954-2008Anthony Minghella, the Oscar-winning director of The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and...
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Minghella succeeds to capture some breathtaking images with aid of his cinematographer John Seale. These are pictures that will stay with you for a long time after the credits has rolled. Jude Law is great as a quiet and charming Inman whose journey is sort of an backbone to this film. Nicole Kidaman's performance instead feels quite wooden and she fails to gain that certain empathy for character her Ada. Renee Zelleweger feels lifted from another film and is just borderline awful as a Ruby who is supposed to be quite opposite to Kidman's Ada.
Somewhere underneah it's multiple storylines and many flaws is hidden a great film, but it gets lost beneath all the material. It comes to me as a surprise that this film was edited by great Walter Murch. Minghella's epic must have been quite a mess when it reached the cutting room because even Murch could not done better. Or maybe this time it was Murch having a bad day. Still there is much to admire here.