Composite Score: 82.48

Starring: Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renée Zellweger, Eileen Atkins, Brendan Gleeson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Donald Sutherland, Ray Winstone, Kathy Baker, James Gammon, Charlie Hunnam, Ethan Suplee, and Jack White

Director: Anthony Minghella

Writer: Anthony Minghella

Genres: Adventure, Drama, History, War, Romance

MPAA Rating: R for violence and sexuality

Box Office: $173.01 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Cold Mountain is the film adaptation of Charles Frazier’s novel of the same name, which follows the fictional account of a Confederate deserter trying to make it back home to Cold Mountain, NC, to find his lover toward the end of the American Civil War. It features Jude Law in an Oscar nominated performance as Inman, the deserter, Nicole Kidman as his lady love back home, Ada Monroe, and Renée Zellweger in an Oscar winning turn as Ruby Thewes, the woman who helps Ada survive the hardships of being a single woman in the Civil War. The film’s plethora of award wins and nominations speak to its quality in terms of filmmaking and performances, while the story tells a more universal tale of survival and love in the face of insurmountable odds rather than one about the specific hardships of the Civil War. Cold Mountain is a quality film that has earned its place among the greats.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                For a film set during the Civil War, this film does very little to engage with the issues of the war in anything more than a cursory way – Confederate soldiers mentioning “states’ rights”, Ada talking about having freed her father’s slaves after his death, references to “northern aggression”, and one scene where Inman runs into a group of escaping slaves but with no words exchanged. In a work of “historical” fiction, I expect a little bit more engagement with the history, but it was the early 2000s, so films about the Civil War had to be a bit more careful about their treatments of slavery and stepping on toes and all that. Still, on a modern rewatch, it feels like a film that could easily have been set during the Mexican American War or even World War I or Vietnam and still had a similar story arc and message, so the historical context makes very little difference.

                Also, Cold Mountain’s third act leaves the audience a bit disappointed. On the one hand, it fulfills a lot of the set up from the first two acts, which is commendable. On the other hand, it feels more like the conclusion of a middling HBO show or decent CW show than the ending of a film. It leaves its audience with all of the answers but none of the satisfaction. Most of the conclusions that come to the film’s various conflicts end up wrapping things up neatly and conveniently in a manner that feels almost too rushed, given the scope of the rest of the film.

                My one other, minor, gripe with this film is Nicole Kidman’s accent. For the most part, the rest of the film’s characters handle their southern accents fairly well, and I think that if Kidman’s Ada was not such a central character, I probably wouldn’t even be mentioning it. Unfortunately, she serves as a narrator of sorts for a good portion of the film, and her inconsistent-at-best southern accent quickly becomes both unavoidable and incredibly distracting, especially in scenes when she is acting across from Zellweger, whose southern accent exists quite naturally and only serves to highlight the mediocrity of Kidman’s. This is not to say that Kidman gives a bad performance – she does quite well outside of the accent – just that the voice coaches could have done a bit more work to prep her.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                As adventure ensemble films go, this is a pretty good one. With plenty of encounters with unique and interesting characters to keep the story moving well. Inman’s journey home and Ada’s struggle to survive independently in Cold Mountain both provide compelling narratives for the audience to become engrossed in. The parallels of the survival narratives provide solid entertainment for the entirety of the film’s two-and-a-half-hour runtime. In that regard, the film never feels overlong and, as I already mentioned, could probably have extended its third act by about fifteen minutes and been an even better film with a higher ranking on this list.

                In addition to its high entertainment value, Cold Mountain is also blessed with noteworthy performances from both Jude Law and Renée Zellweger. Jude Law’s Inman is put through the ringer on his journey back to Cold Mountain, and he brings that struggle and pain to life on the screen, becoming nearly unrecognizable for some moments of the film. His quiet but deeply passionate performance garnered an Oscar nomination, which might have easily won had the Academy known that Sean Penn would be winning again for Milk just a few years later. Truly though, Renée Zellweger is the scene-stealer of Cold Mountain. From the moment that she appeared on the screen, I immediately understood why she won the Oscar for best supporting actress that year. She gives one of the most entertaining and powerhouse performances as Ruby Thewes, dominating every scene that she is a part of. Her at times hilarious and always emotionally engaging performance is a big part of what makes this film so watchable. Without her, it would not be nearly as great as it otherwise is.

                A couple of strong acting performances go along well with a highly entertaining story in Cold Mountain to make it one of the Greatest Films of All Time. Though weakened by its lead actress’s accent, a rushed and convenient third act, and its watered-down historical context, the film does manage to entertain and looks really good in the process. This film is currently available to stream with a Showtime subscription or to rent on most streaming services. Check it out, if you are interested.