Cold Mountain

Minghella's movie is stern and lucid for the most part and immensely enlivened by the presence of Zellweger and Hoffman who bring amusement to their roles.

Excellent but upsetting, only for older teens.

If the love story is asked to carry more weight than it can bare, at least this is a film of rich measure and ambition.

Grim in places, and at times gratuitous, this is still terrific five-hanky drama with top-flight technical work, horrifically spectacular action, subtle introspection, rich characters and a love story to die for.

Something to mildly admire rather than embrace.

'Above all, Cold Mountain is a story of women -- abandoned, starving, and learning to rely only on themselves and each other.'

This unconvincing "timelessness" is the film's weakest aspect. The work takes the form of a series of disconnected and discrete episodes, without essential inner connection, and becomes somewhat tedious as a result.

Minghella fans will be happy.

While it may not be the best film of the year, it is still a solid effort worthy of most of its pre-release hype.

While there are great performances from the likes of Zellwegger, Baker and Portman, and top of the line production values from Seale, Murch and Ferretti, [Cold Mountain] as a whole is forgettable.