Cold Mountain

Cold Mountain is exactly the type of sweeping epic that Oscar voters love. While it may not be the best film of the year, it is still a solid effort worthy of most of its prerelease hype. Mountain takes place in the waning days of the Civil War. Inman (Jude Law) a Confederate soldier hardened by the brutality of the way is injured during battle and takes off on a quest to return to his North Carolina home and reunite with Ada (Nicole Kidman), the woman he loves although he barely knows. Along the way Inman meets plenty of colorful characters including an adulterous preacher (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and a young woman (Natalie Portman) struggling to raise her infant son. Back at home Ada is fighting to keep her farm intact after the release of her familys slaves and the untimely death of her father. Ada gets help in the form of Ruby (Renee Zellwegger), a scrappy drifter who teaches Ada how to care for herself. There is a lot of material packed into the 154-minute running time, but to director Anthony Minghellas credit he keeps the film moving at a brisk pace. Unlike Minghellas bloated and slightly overrated The English Patient, Cold Mountain never feels like its grinding in neutral, but that could be because of the way each scene unveils another surprise cameo. From Portman to Hoffman to Kathy Baker and Melora Walters from Magnolia, its as if every face in the film is a familiar one, only adding to the films enjoyment. Minghellas screenplay, adapted from Charles Fraziers novel, does a nice job of creating balance between the war and the home front. Cold Mountain gives the effects of both ends of a war and presents it in a realistic and somewhat ugly manner. The acting is solid. Kidman and Law may not be American actors, but they quickly establish their respective characters in a realistic manner. Zellwegger nearly steals the film in a role that is a lock to at least receive an Oscar nomination. Still, the film isnt without its flaws. The romance between Inman and Ada is slightly unbelievable, considering the characters barley know each other and the film does feel like it is about to drift into an overly sappy final act, before Minghella rights the ship with the best way to end the film. It all adds up to a rarity for the 2003 holiday movie season a big-budget release that actually delivers. Agree? Disagree? Not sure? Just want to put your two cents in? Micheal Compton, also a sports reporter, can be reached at 783-3247 or at mcompton@ bgdaily news.com.