Two cowboys and a mountain (Brokeback Mountain (DVD))

Member Name: CTVicky

Product:	Brokeback Mountain (DVD)
Date:	16/08/09 (6 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Heath's in it, excellent acting all round, good cinematography

Disadvantages: Direction of love scenes, disappointing plot

Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal star in Brokeback Mountain as two strangers who are thrown together one summer in the 1960s when they are both given work as cowboys on a mountain. At first they are unsure of each other but gradually the hardship of being out in the wilderness forces them to bond and they become friends. And then, one night they become lovers, setting a course of events in place that would ultimately lead to tragedy.

As always, I felt that Heath Ledger's acting was spot-on (though I could barely comprehend what he was saying) and Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a truly remarkable performance as a fervently homosexual trying to live as a heterosexual married man.

Also, the landscapes of the mountainsides and rivers in the film are beautiful.

However, there were a few things that simply didn't agree with me about Brokeback Mountain.

For starters; the love scenes. I found them totally unconvincing. They were violent, quick and harsh and I don't really believe it's like that between two men who have just fallen in love. I think the scenes should have been longer, more gentle and more loving.

Also, aside from raising awareness of equality issues I really failed to see the point in the tragedy that occurs in Brokeback Mountain. I thought it added nothing to the film, and the circumstances under which it happens are not made clear, which I found irritating.

I was expecting a touching love story when what I really got was a vehicle for gay rights.

Still, if you're a film buff, you've gotta see it, if you haven't already.

Summary: A fun way to kill a couple of hours