Brokeback Mountain Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)December 12th, 2005
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar are a couple of old fishing buddies who get together several times a year to head to the splendor of the Bighorn Mountain range, where they spend absolutely no time at all fishing. This pair of cowboys met a few decades ago, back in 1963 when they both worked tending sheep on Brokeback Mountain. It was a tough and lonesome job. They just had each other for conversation, and their diet consisted mainly of beans.
One night after getting soused on booze, they snuggle up together in a small tent and find out that they rather liked the same sex, not that they'd admit it of course. After loud, boastful and disingenuous proclamations that neither of them is "queer," as they put it, they quickly come to realize that they are each other's soul mates. But macho dudes like cowboys did not come out of the closet back in the 1960s.
In two of the best performances of the year -- both deserve Oscar nominations -- Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger play Jack and Ennis, a pair of bittersweet lovers who are destined to never quite get what they want, which is a life together. Instead, they both settle for a more traditional family with a wife and kids. In two impressive performances that are overshadowed by the men, Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway play their respective wives.
In the best performance but in a less showy role than Jack's, Ledger plays Ennis as a sad guy who doesn't say a lot. Known up until now for his heartthrob roles as in A KNIGHT'S TALE, Ledger demonstrates acting chops that few people knew he had. You can truly feel Ennis's pain, thanks to Ledger's subtle facial gestures. Gyllenhaal, who we are used to seeing in serious roles, as in his recent JARHEAD, delivers a magnificent performance as a man who isn't ashamed to go for what he really wants, even if he never is able to quite pull it off.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN's director Ang Lee continues to amaze us with the breadth of his skills. What do films such as EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, THE HULK and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON have in common? Thematically, absolutely nothing. But they all share Lee's gift for filmmaking. If there are some of his movies that you don't like, you have to at least admire his consummate skills in preparing them. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN's stunning cinematography, with Lee's penchant for the long shots, make it a jewel to be admired and treasured. This is a movie worth repeated viewings. It grows with you afterwards, the more you think about it.
Neither Jack nor Ennis ever gets what he wants and sometimes it seems like the movie won't end until they start their Social Security checks, but the audience is never less than captivated by the story and by the vast vistas of the gorgeous mountains. This is a very special picture that you can expect to find on many best of the year lists.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN runs a leisurely but lyrical 2:14. It is rated R for "sexuality, nudity, language and some violence" and would be acceptable for most teenagers.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, December 16, 2005. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
