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Somehow I knew I was going to like this film because I love epic war films. It was a lot like a romantic epic like Gone With The Wind, The English Patient, Atonement, Pride And Prejudice, The Duchess and Australia. It is a story of adventure, war and strength within humans. It is a dark time for all of the characters because it is during the Civil War and there are awkward twists and turns that come across the characters. I find this film to be quite similar to Atonement because of the romance with separations between Inman and Ada just like Cecilia and Robbie. Also, I find the characters to be quite similar. There are two stories involved in Cold Mountain. Inman escapes the Civil War and travels to get to his lover Ada. On his journey, he meets new people. The other, Ada meets Ruby Thewes and they become good friends and try to survive during the Civil War but the two stories try and bond together to form an epic masterpiece in the end in which it did achieve.
Jude Law has taken some rather weak roles and given out bad performances in the past but when I heard he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Leading Actor in Cold Mountain, I thought to myself "he can't have been that good surely" but I was wrong. His performance was amazing. He gave Inman more of a sympathetic character because he almost starves and almost gets killed. Jude is good at playing that sort of character because everyone knows he has a voice that quite a lot of people would find attractive. I liked Jude Law in Closer but loved him even more in Cold Mountain. Nicole Kidman's performance was really good as Ada. Ada is a young, sexy and posh American woman who is alone because of being without her lover until she meets Ruby. Nicole pulls off a fantastic American accent for an Australian just like the late Heath Ledger did in Brokeback Mountain. I will be looking forward to seeing her in epic films such as Australia. Renée Zellweger delivers a performance that in my opinion she will be best known for other than Bridget Jones. Renée really made me laugh because Ruby was such a cow at times but mostly it was what Renée appeared like in Cold Mountain. She was the best in the whole film. Other supporting actors in this film are Eileen Atkins, Brandon Gleeson, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Donald Sutherland and Ray Winstone. This film has an unbelievable cast.
Anthony Minghella seemed like he wanted Cold Mountain to be just as successful as The English Patient did. He had a great talent for making romantic epics. He made his work always open to a positive side of a story and a negative side as well. This film isn't Minghella's best work; I preferred The English Patient. It was a tragedy when Minghella died in March 2008. R.I.P. Anthony Minghella. The script was very good with a typical writing of its genre with American western words, short words and with very detailed and powerful scenes. When we see Ada and Ruby in this film, we sort of realise what it must have been like for the innocent people during the Civil War. It also makes us realise what is was like for a soldier during not just the Civil War but every war there has ever been which is what Inman went through.
This is both Jude Law and Renée Zellweger's best performances. Nicole Kidman was awesome but preferred in Moulin Rouge! and Eyes Wide Shut. Anthony Minghella created a masterpiece which isn't as much of a masterpiece than The English Patient. It is one of best films of 2003 and one of the best ensemble casts of all time.
8/10
