Cold Mountain (2003 Anthony Minghella & scr)

What's wrong with Cold Mountain? Why doesn't it connect? Based on the novel by Charles Frazier, it tells of the journey home to his loved one of a Civil War deserter, and her travails back at home. It is, in fact, quite a grim film - after two and a half hours our hero, Jude Law (good) is killed. Maybe that's why we hadn't seen it since (sometimes there are good reasons.) Maybe we don't care enough about their relationship? In any event, the good part of the story then is really that tough farm girl Renée Zellweger (winning Oscar) comes to help run Nicole Kidman's farm and the two become great friends.

Dreadful men - exemplified by Ray Winstone and albino Charlie Hunnam - keep doing increasingly horrible things throughout, and maybe that's a problem. We need more light and shade. There's also no laughs to speak of, though Brendan Gleeson and his accompanist Ethan Suplee bring a little cheer. In fact one of the pleasures of the film is that great people keep popping up throughout - thus: Donald Sutherland, Eileen Atkins, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Giovanni Ribisi, Kathy Baker and even Cillian Murphy.

No argument about Walter Murch, John Seale or Gabriel Yared's music, but overall it doesn't compete with The English Patient.

I was amused to read that Frazier was paid an $8 million advance for his next book 'Thirteen Moons',  which was a flop.