Brokeback Mountain Review

4 out of 5

Drama, Romance

The Verdict

Thumbs Up: Highly Recommended

Drama fans who appreciate a slow, emotional character study with award-caliber acting. It’s rated R for sexual content, nudity, language and some violence.

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Synopsis

Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) are sheep herders in the state of Wyoming in 1963. After a night of heavy drinking, the two find themselves in a compromising position. Their relationship quickly turns from friendship into something more.

Spoiler Warning!!! Full Review Below

Full Review (Spoilers)

Producers: James Schamus

The Good

Heath Ledger really shined in this movie. His interaction with Gyllenhaal’s character was interesting. He played a dominating male figure. Ennis was confused about his relationship with Jack. At first, he was reluctant but he gave in eventually to Jack’s advances. His best scene in this movie happens when he receives Jack’s shirt. The amount of emotion Ledger portrayed in this single scene was amazing.

Jake Gyllenhaal really stepped into this role. He put on a believable performance of a man battling the perceptions of his society and the social norm of a cowboy.

Decent supporting cast with Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams. They added to the film with nice performances. You feel sad to know they’re the victims of their husbands’ charade to the society around them.

The Bad

The death of Jack really was left to the imagination. You’re not sure if the story the wife gave over the phone was true or not. The people in 1963 didn’t accept homosexuality and that could have been the cause of Jack’s death, like in Ennis’ imagination. All during the movie Jack seemed a bit promiscuous and tried to hit on a fair number of guys.

Originally published on the Bring On The Reviews Blogspot blog on May 8, 2014.

Brokeback Mountain (2005) Cast and Details

Brokeback Mountain (2005) is directed by Ang Lee and stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams. It runs 134 minutes and is rated R. You can look up the full cast and crew on IMDb. You might also like my The Amazing Spider-Man 2 review.

DC's Hypothetical Corner

Let’s say I change one thing. Maybe that one thing will make this movie better or more watchable.

It would be a different movie if Ennis and Jack left their wives to live with each other instead of sneaking around. The secret lives of the guys coming out could make for an interesting story especially during the year in the movie.

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