Cold Mountain (Rated R)

Cold Mountain is a love story of a man, Inman, played by Jude Law, who goes and fights for his country before realizing that he's a lover not a fighter.  And so he makes his long journey home as a deserter to his love that he just met weeks before the war broke out.

Nicole Kidman plays the love, Ada, that arrives at the town, called Cold Mountain, and watches as her simple life turn as the war rages on.  She looses a loved one, she must actually get her soft southern bell hands dirty and all while hoping for her love to return.

Image the here and now with those fighting in Iraq and not having any CNN or 24 hour news to cover the latest.  The desperation of not knowing if her lover is alive or dead gives Nicole Kidman a believable role, but there was no other emotion that I got from her on screen.

Renee Zelllweger's performance certainly did earn her the academy award for best supporting actress.  It was also helpful that her accent was current throughout the movie, where as Nicole's Aussie and Jude's British one crept into some of the lines.
There is a two-minute erotic scene where you get to see both sets of tushes.

This is a movie that you hope certain good and bad characters "get what's coming to them".

The one constant, besides you wanting Jude to make it to Nicole, is the soundtrack that will just make you feel at a relaxed state that makes you want to pick up the soundtrack.

Does he make it home to Nicole?  You must rent the movie to see.  Notice I said rent because unless you really first see this movie to see if you enjoy it enough to shell out the going rate of $15.99 then you need to watch it first.

It's a unique movie.  Strong B+

SPOILER POINTS:
1. I didn't need to see that much skin in the love scene.

2. I thought finding out Jude had knocked up Nicole from just one night is a little too much cliché for an ending.

3. I did love how it was like most deserters get-shot-and that is what happens to him at the end.  He came all that way just to have one last night of nookie and then get shot.

4. I liked when the blonde-headed punk got shot dead by Jude.

5. I loved that you never knew Jude was shot until he spit up blood.