Cold Mountain

About an epic journey home from war through a landscape of murderous men and seductive women, 'Cold Mountain' is a well thought out portrayal of was and its ravaging effects. It's ironic, at a time when real war, in both Afganistan and Iraq, is carefully sanitised for public consumption on our television screens, that the full horror of war is explored more honestly and more graphically in a piece of cinematic historical fiction. At the same time, the film is highly poetic. Inman's taciturnity, the dreaminess of the cinematography, and the surrealism of his encounters on the road all combine to portray Inman (Jude Law) as a lost soul, full of quiet intensity and awkward longing. In the mean time, Nicole Kedman provides what I thought was one of her best performances, as she, Ada, struggles to survive alone on her father's farm, learning about self-reliance and independence from men, and resisting the land-grabbing advances of brutish Home Guard captain Teague (Ray Winstone). From the moment earthy Ruby (Renée Zellweger) shows up and offers help, it becomes clear why she won an oscar for her performance. It's also got a superb supporting cast, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman as a fallen priest and Jack White as a singer named after a state. We both thought it was one of the best movies we've seen in a long time and both give it [5-Stars].

SYNOPSIS: Near the end of the American Civil War, while recovering from serious wounds in a military hospital, the Confederate soldier Inman (Jude Law) receives a letter from his beloved Ada (Nicole Kidman) calling upon him to come back to her, and so sets out on the long walk back to Cold Mountain, North Carolina. Ada struggles alone to survive alone on her father's farm, until the earthy Ruby (Renée Zellweger) offers help. While Ada is learning about self-reliance and independence from men, and resisting the land-grabbing advances of brutish Home Guard captain Teague (Ray Winstone), Inman wanders through a war-ravaged hell to a cold place where not only Ada, but also Teague and his men are waiting.