Review of Cold Mountain (2003) by Jane W — 21 Nov 2009

They did a good job revealing the depravity and desperation that the Civil War caused in the U.S. Townfolk turned against one another, strangers entrapped and sold strangers out for cash, and single mothers wielded shotguns to shoot straggling unarmed soldiers in retreat.

The struggle to survive brings out the worst or best in everyone, which is based on a matter of personal choice and this resonates throughout the movie. I could accept the length of the movie, despite its slow pace, because that is what the characters were going through: the war and the journey home felt endless.

What I didn't like was Nicole Kidman's forehead. She did what she could with the botox hampering her acting, but her expressiveness is nowhere near what she used to be able to do. I love Renee Zellwegger whenever she gets to showcase her skills beyond romantic roles, she really is a natural talent.

And Jude Law is good as the haunted Southern gentleman who struggles to fight against the changes wrought in him and his fellow Americans by the war.