Love story leaves us cold

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Cold Mountain
R
Playing at area theaters
Two-and-a-half reels out of four

Sitting through Cold Mountain is akin to driving a Rolls Royce with a Chevy engine. Or watching a classic rock group with none of the original members. Or having a great dish of pasta without a glass of Chianti.

Something’s missing.

Inman (Jude Law) is a humble carpenter toiling in Cold Mountain, N.C., before the outbreak of the Civil War. When he meets Ada (Nicole Kidman), just up from the big city, he falls instantly in love with her and she with him. Although the two share a quick, passionate kiss, before their love is given a chance to bloom, Inman is called off to war. Throughout the war he can think of nothing other than seeing her again and when the longing gets too much for him, he deserts and heads back toward Cold Mountain.

For Ada, the war is none too kind. After her father (Donald Sutherland) dies, she is left to fend for herself with no cooking or laboring skills to speak of. Just as it looks as if things are about to get much worse, a resourceful mountain girl (Renee Zellweger) shows up offering her services. Soon things are up and running again as Ada waits for Inman to return.

The shame is how good Cold Mountain could have been. Director Anthony Minghella seems to have a thing for stories of doomed love, and this is right up his alley. And indeed, there are moments of true beauty. The film particularly excels in the telling of both lovers’ ordeals. Minghella effortlessly intertwines Ada’s story with Inman’s as the movie builds to the inevitable climax. Also helping tremendously are the amazing cinematography by John Seale and the authentic old-time music supervised by none other than T-Bone Burnett.

Where Cold Mountain falters — and not a little — is in the acting. Particularly noticeable is Law. He is actually fairly well cast as the lovelorn Inman and, indeed with the help of the costumes, looks like a Rebel soldier. However, his acting is just not hitting the right note. It’s as if he’s trying just a little too hard and that comes across; he even looks as if he’s pouting much of the time.

Likewise, Ms. Kidman, who has shown she can be very effective, is just a bit too coquettish to be believable. Although Zellweger can be very funny in her role as the plucky mountain girl, there is an air of falseness, as if she is doing a guest spot on Saturday Night Live. In fact, the best performances come from small supporting roles. Natalie Portman, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Brendan Gleeson all make admirable contributions.

Cold Mountain already has garnered a slew of rave reviews, including eight Golden Globe nominations. One wonders if they saw the same movie. You need to see for yourself. Or you could just stay home and rent The English Patient.


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PG-13
Available Tuesday

Carl Franklin, the director of One False Move and Devil in the Blue Dress, has hit another home run with this noir-ish thriller based in the Florida Keys. Denzel Washington plays a well-respected small-town sheriff who is having an affair with his former high-school sweetheart (Sanaa Lathan), now married. When she and her husband die tragically in a house fire, he must cover his tracks so that he does not become a suspect. Things get stickier when he must deal with a homicide cop sent down from Miami, who just happens to be his ex-wife (Eva Mendes). This is more fun than a thriller should be.