The English Patient director Anthony Minghella returns with his first picture since 1999's The Talented Mr. Ripley, with Cold Mountain, a Civil
War era drama based on the novel by Charles Frazier. The film has already been declared one of 2003's best by many and just nabbed 8 Golden Globe nominations.

Jude Law plays Inman, a man who must soon go to war. Nicole Kidman is Ada Monroe, the woman that at first Inman fancies from afar, a pampered, Scarlet O'Hara type (albeit not quite as whiny), who soon gets some harsh lessons about the true meaning of independence. The two barely know each other, yet after several profound glances are exchanged, they acknowledge their mutual attraction and consummate it with a single kiss. Upon Inman's
departure Ada vows to await his return no matter how long or at what cost.

Essentially, we have two stories taking place here. One from Ada's perspective and the other from Inman's. Ada's fortunes take a turn for the
worse right away, as the death of her Father (Donald Sutherland), coupled with the departure of their slaves, leaves her ill-equipped to maintain her farm. Faced with these hardships coupled with financial woes, she finds help in the person of Ruby Thewes (played by Renee Zelwegger) who eventually become a valued friend and by far the most interesting thing about Cold Mountain.

Inman's struggles are even more severe as he becomes a deserter. While making his epic journey back home, he encounters a colorful and diverse assortment of characters including a preacher (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman), an odd commoner (played by Giovanni Ribisi), and a widow with an infant (played by Natalie Portman).

Jude Law is quietly effective in a role that was originally offered to Tom Cruise (he chose instead to tackle the similarly themed the Last
Samurai). For the past few years, Law was expected to be the next "big
thing," and while he's been excellent in other movies (see The Talented Mr. Ripley, A.I., Road to Perdition and Gattaca), this is his meatiest role and he makes the most of it in a performance that is both haunting and restrained. Kidman is also effective as a rather reserved woman with a passionate side waiting to come out. Her character experiences the most growth in the picture, and Kidman does a more than competent job bringing to life a character unlike any we've seen her take on since Far and Away.

As I stated earlier, Cold Mountain is also populated with several supporting players. Zellweger chews up the scenery as Ruby. This is a high energy performance and every scene she's in she steals outright. Brendan Gleeson is wonderful as Ruby's estranged father and their scenes together work far more effectively than similar such scenes between Cate Blanchett
and Tommy Lee Jones in Ron Howard's underwhelming The Missing. Philip Seymour Hoffman is terrific as a lecherous preacher, and Natalie Portman offers a near perfect turn as an emotionally drained but still strong-willed
widow. Also watch for a small gem by Kathy Baker and a bit part by The White Stripes' Jack White (he also helped out with the music).

Cold Mountain is a good movie but I wouldn't call it a great one. Minghella is terrific with his actors and the movie looks gorgeous, but somehow, I didn't feel emotionally attached to these characters. The fact that Inman and Ada's relationship is underdeveloped bothered me at first, until I began to understand that this wasn't really the focal point of the movie. In fact, they are rarely even on screen together. Cold Mountain isn't so much about their relationship as it is about how this bond they've each
formed in their minds and the hope it holds of a life of happiness, is strong enough to sustain them, despite the dire circumstances they must
overcome in order to reunite. Still, I never really felt that Cold Mountain offered up a real sense of love and loss and given that this movie is set
amid the "hits home" nature of the Civil War, makes this fact all the more disheartening. In particular, I had issues with the ending of this movie. Without giving anything away, I think the ending was far too manipulative. It felt like a calculated ploy to jerk tears. I guess this isn't a fair gripe, because apparently the book ends the same way. But then I guess I wouldn't have
liked the end of the book either.

Much of Cold Mountain feels fragmented; the plot of the film was so often sidetracked that, at times, it was somewhat exasperating. To me, each of Inman's encounters felt too much like separate vignettes (some complete and others left to dangle unresolved) and this hurt the film because it completely disrupted it's overall continuity. You kept feeling like the real story was constantly getting lost in the mail. My favorite segment in the picture is the one with Portman. It is one of a few sequences in the picture that really had some emotional depth to it, but sadly, the scene doesn't offer a sense of closure. I really would have liked to have learned what became of Portman's character.

Again, there is much to admire in Cold Mountain. The look of the film is breathtaking and the acting is solid, I just wish I would have found the entire experience more emotionally involving. I was rarely moved, because you never really get a chance to settle in and connect with any of the characters. It had all the elements of an epic classic, but the pieces weren't put together in such a way as to draw the audience in deep enough for the emotion to hit home.

Cold Mountain is by no means a bad movie, and there are, no doubt, others who feel that it achieves the epic classic status that it aspired to. I recommend that you see the movie and be your own judge. But for me at least, in terms of scope and emotional impact it is easily outran by films that it will compete against, particularly Return of the King and Seabiscuit.