Cold mountain film review. Cold Mountain (2003) 2022-10-28

Cold mountain film review Rating: 9,2/10 724 reviews

Cold Mountain is a 2003 war drama film directed by Anthony Minghella and starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renée Zellweger. Based on the 1997 novel of the same name by Charles Frazier, the film tells the story of Inman, a wounded Confederate soldier who embarks on a perilous journey home to Cold Mountain, North Carolina, where he hopes to reunite with his love, Ada Monroe.

One of the standout aspects of Cold Mountain is its stunning cinematography, which perfectly captures the rugged beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. The sweeping shots of the landscape are breathtaking and serve as a powerful backdrop to the film's poignant story.

The performances of the cast are also noteworthy. Jude Law gives a powerful and emotional performance as Inman, a man who is struggling to survive in a world that is torn apart by war. Renée Zellweger also delivers a strong performance as Ada, a woman who must learn to fend for herself after the death of her father.

Despite its strengths, Cold Mountain is not without its flaws. Some viewers may find the film's slow pace and lengthy running time to be a bit of a drag, and the ending may feel a bit rushed and unsatisfying to some.

Overall, Cold Mountain is a beautifully made film that is elevated by its stunning cinematography and strong performances from its talented cast. While it may not be perfect, it is a poignant and emotionally powerful exploration of love, loss, and the human cost of war.

COLD MOUNTAIN

cold mountain film review

The preacher finds a cross saw in the woods and decides to keep it. Though they had barely gotten to know each other before the war, Inman and Ada had fallen in love, having shared only a few conversations and one passionate kiss. Though this star-studded movie portrays excessive sex and violence, its real problem is with its deplorable worldview, which, like many other current films, promotes quiet acquiescence to despair, rather than true healing available in Christ. Inman sticks to back roads as the Home Guard roams the countryside looking for deserters to shoot. In one discussion with a friend, he discusses the fact that God must be weary with being called down on both sides of an argument. And the Romanian countryside is a workable double for mid-19th century North Carolina. Although the big battle near the beginning of the film has its share of logical flaws, it is photographed in such a manner that you almost lose yourself in the spectacle of the moment.

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Cold Mountain

cold mountain film review

The movie opens in 1864, with the South well on its way to losing the Civil War. Teague, who basically runs the town, threatens that any able-bodied man who refuses to fight, or deserts the Confederacy, will have to contend with him and his men. They are chained to a group of deserters, only to have some Union troops come and fire on everyone. A bargain is struck and the two begin a mutually beneficial partnership that develops into a friendship. While it's unfair to impugn the two leads, since both do adequate jobs, Zellweger constantly forces Kidman into the background by the forcefulness of her performance. He, of course, declares himself too old to fight. If Movieguide® is useful to you, please take one minute to keep it online and growing.

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‘Cold Mountain’ Review: 2003 Movie

cold mountain film review

It has been three years since they last saw each other, and he doesn't know for sure whether she is waiting for him. In fact, one could make a legitimate argument that the quality keeping this movie from greatness is the lack of fire in Inman and Ada's relationship. The second half of Cold Mountain is significantly better than the first. Inman and Ada's paths to their reunion are broken into various episodes. Soon, the rapidly recovering Inman reads another letter from Ada and decides to quietly leave in the night, heading back for Cold Mountain and the woman that so clearly needs him.

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Cold Mountain (2003)

cold mountain film review

An old woman, who looks and acts a lot like a witch, rescues him and nurses him back to health, giving him a lecture on the circle of life and destiny, and feeding him some herbs for his wounds. After recovering from a devastating injury, infantryman Inman decides to desert and make his way back to his home town of Cold Mountain, North Carolina, where he hopes to have a life with Ada, the preacher's daughter. Just when Ada is at her lowest point, being attacked by a rooster, up walks Ruby Thewes Renee Zellweger , a tough country girl who offers to help her shape up the farm in exchange for room and board. These movies are portraits of the despair that comes apart from a relationship with the One True God. It's not often that, when the primary thread of a movie fails, the secondary storylines are compelling enough to make the overall experience a positive one. The movie has its share of structural problems, and may be a little longer than seems necessary, but it rarely lost my attention.

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cold mountain film review

Enter Ruby Thewes Renée Zellweger , a plain-speaking freespirit who offers to help Ada rebuild the farm in exchange for meals and lodging. However, the trek back to Cold Mountain proves to be an arduous one. Since both men are now on the run, the two decide to team up for safety. The movie disparages Christians by showing the one preacher Donald Sutherland to be kindhearted, yet one who takes no stand on issues, and the other preacher Philip Seymour Hoffman to be mouthy and sinful, indulging his carnal nature at every turn. The message is subtle, but profound.

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cold mountain film review

In contrast, the Bible teaches that there is a mediator, the Jesus Christ, who came to give us life abundant. One thing that cannot be denied is the effectiveness of the film's look. Back at the infirmary, a young nurse reads Inman a letter from Ada, telling him that her father, the reverend, has died, and begging him to come home to her. As Inman continues his journey back to Cold Mountain, however, he meets up with the preacher again, who has been run out of town, due to the note. This is a gorgeous film to watch, with deserved credit given to cinematographer John Seale, who is an accomplished veteran behind the camera he has shot about three-dozen pictures, including The English Patient, Gorillas in the Mist, and Witness.

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cold mountain film review

Several of the above movies even extol suicide as a viable answer to despair. It is during one of his services that the announcement comes that the war has begun. Inman met Ada Kidman just before war broke out, so their memories of each other are few but all the more precious for their brevity. Back in Cold Mountain, things have gotten progressively worse. Though this star-studded movie portrays excessive sex and violence, its real problem is with its deplorable worldview, which, like many other current films, promotes quiet acquiescence to despair, rather than true healing available in Christ. It's fair to say in Cold Mountain's case that the journey counts more than what happens once the destination is reached. I would not place this in the top echelon of end-of-the-year motion pictures, but it's certainly a successful adaptation, features numerous memorable performances mostly by the supporting players , and is worth a post-holiday expenditure of time and money.

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cold mountain film review

Teague and his men are torturing those who aid deserters, and Ada and Ruby have gotten some unexpected company. Only a tiny portion of our readers give. Zellweger looks like a big movie star roughing it à la Paris Hilton, and as if this weren't distracting enough, the hills are alive with big acting names from both sides of the Atlantic who pop up as help or hindrance to Inman's pilgrim's progress while straining, with variable success, for credible Southern twangs. However, that occurs with Cold Mountain, a Civil War era romance where the love affair fizzles, but the episodic approach allows the narrative to breathe. Some of these are quite good, and even the least impressive retains some degree of interest. She is flamboyant and energetic - two characteristics that do not apply to either Kidman or Law. They hardly know each other - their interaction was brief, but left a lasting impression.

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