Film Quick Review: Cold Mountain

In what amounts to a modern-day Gone with the Wind, this Civil War-era romance capably delivers a story that feels like a classic, whether because it induces the nagging feeling that its events and characters have been seen before in other classics or whether it is in spite of that same negatively-connoted notion. There are plenty of cameos by fine actors that seem to go wasted (e.g. Donald Sutherland, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Jena Malone) with the exception of Philip Seymour Hoffman who takes a satirical turn as a lust-driven, hypocritical country preacher, a wild character reminiscent of Mark Twain creations. However, the principle actors, Jude Law and Nicole Kidman, play their parts as two separated lovers well enough to carry the movie without any necessary support. But Renee Zellweger is the real show-stealer with a very fun and lively supporting performance as Kidman's farmhand -- perhaps the most notable accomplishment of the film.

Score: 7.5