brokeback mountain

There will be a lot written about BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN for the next several months as the accolades and awards keep piling up. Along with the praise, another thing will no doubt be talked about quite a bit… this is a movie about gay cowboys. This will be the focus of most of the articles about BROKEBACK, so because of that, the fact that the characters are homosexual will not be discussed in my review of the film.

This is a love story, pure and simple. The story is quite classic in a way… two lovers… all that they want is to be together and the forces in the world keep them apart. That is the story, plain and simple. What’s impressive is the execution, beauty and skill that is present in all aspects of the film. Heather Ledger is simply great in this film as Ennis Del Mar, a man who was not looking for anything, but found the love of his life. He is a quiet, soft spoken man, who has been scarred by events in his past, which among other things, keep him from embracing the love that he has discovered. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers perhaps his best performance to date as Jack Twist, who finds his soul mate in Ennis. He does not have the same issues as Ennis, but as is true with all relationships… one person’s problem becomes both people’s problem.

When you are lucky enough to find true love, but cannot be together… then what do you do? This is the focus of most of the movie. Denying what you really want and trying to move on with the rest of your life. The result is a beautiful tale that unfolds slowly, but keeps you engaged throughout because of the characters, the acting and the steady direction.

Ang Lee’s previous credits include movies like THE ICE STORM, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, and most recently HULK. One thing you notice when looking at his films is that they are all unique and really have very little in common with one another. I would put BROKEBACK up there with THE ICE STORM as my favorite of his films. This movie is simple in story, but extremely complex in emotions, character, and conflict. At a running time of about 2:20, this movie is slow and might be considered boring if not for Lee. Almost every shot in this films is meticulously framed and is just simply beautiful to look at. With the attention to detail in not only the look, but in the characters, this movie is anything but boring.

Rodrigo Prieto (21 GRAMS, 8 MILE, FRIDA) deserves special mention for his fantastic work as the cinematographer. The look of this movie is just simply classic. It is gorgeous. The framing, the lighting and the camera movement are all virtually flawless.

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is a beautiful and classic love story. Cudos to Ledger and Gyllenhall for not only taking these daring roles, but then never once holding back and delivering performance that are already being recognized by critics all over the country. This is a movie that could have hurt or killed the career of either of them and instead, it will stand as some of their best work for the rest of their careers.