Its open, unforced depiction of love between two men made Brokeback an instant cultural touchstone, for both good and bad, as it was tagged derisively as the "gay cowboy movie," but also heralded as a breakthrough for mainstream cinema. Amidst all the hoopla of various agendas, though, was a quiet, heartbreaking love story that was both of its time and universal--it was the quintessential tale of star-crossed lovers, but grounded in an ever-changing America that promised both hope and despair. Adapted by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana from Annie Proulx's short story, the movie echoes the sparse bleakness of McMurtry's The Last Picture Show with its fading of the once-glorious West; but with Lee at the helm, it also resembles The Ice Storm, as it showed the ripple effects of a singular event over a number of people. As always, Lee's work with actors is unparalleled, as he elicits graceful, nuanced performances from Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway as the wives affected overtly and subliminally by their husbands' affair, and Gyllenhaal brings surprising dimensions to a character that could have easily just been a puppy dog of a boy. It's Ledger, however, who's the breakthrough in the film, and his portrait of an emotionally repressed man both undone and liberated by his feelings is mesmerizing and devastating. Spare in style but rich with emotion, Brokeback Mountain earns its place as a classic modern love story. --Mark Englehart


Customer Reviews (Average 4.0 from 153) :
whatever
Rating:1
Blah blah blah mountains blah blah blah sweeping vistas blah blah blah two cowboys in love blah blah blah, next! Sure its a well made and well acted film but for me it may as well have been about the adventures of two escapee potatoes rejoicing in the mountains following their near miss with a chip pan. In fact it would have definitely been a far more entertaining storyline, and imagine the number of sequels they could've got out of it, i mean, it'd take years to track down two potatoes on a mountain and they'd have probably drafted in Tommy Lee Jones for LostSpud Mountain 6 i reckon. Remember where you heard it first.

An overrated gay tragedy for straights
Rating:2
Over-rated. "A gay tragedy for straights" (so a gay friend of mine who didn't bother going to see it. His partner went on his own and walked out of it). My opinion is that Ang Lee insists on telling the narrative linearly which means he has to lay a solid foundation first. What this means is 40 interminable minutes of sheep-farming to begin with, and I agree with those who say there isn't actually any chemistry between the two protagonists. The women don't get that much screen time but their love is more convincing than the men's. Heath Ledger's accent seems fake, but I can't tell if it's the regionality or the butchness that jars. Whose story is it? One feels that it ought to be Jack's story, since he's the one to suffer most for his impossible dreams, which might have been more interesting than Ennis's moping. But unfortunately it seems to be more Ennis's story, which is a problem because he is opaque; he is a stone which doesn't roll and which gathers moss, which is the point of course, except that it means he doesn't actually have much of a story. Finally it takes place between 1963 and 1983, and I kind of feel that there ought to have been some mention of the gay rights movement towards the end of that time period. Were Wyoming and Texas chosen in order to avoid that?

A modern classic.
Rating:5
Even though the film Brokeback Mountain is only 4 years old, I feel that it would not be premature to call this movie a modern classic. This movie is going to continue to affect people for many years ahead,such is the power of Brokeback Mountain. This film was called the "gay cowboy movie" on its release,but that label does not do it justice,or prepare the viewer for what lies ahead.This is a love story,except the two lovers just happen to be men.
Ang Lee directs a wonderful cast here. Heath Ledger as Ennis Del Mar, was the perfect choice to play a man who finds it so difficult to share his feelings with anyone,yet also has a need for companionship and love. He deserved the oscar. Jake Gyllenhaal as Jack Twist,is equally affecting. The look of longing and heartbreak on his beautiful face is devastating. Michelle Williams as Alma also puts in an amazing performance as the cheated wife of Ennis. There are other appearances which are so powerful,such as Roberta Maxwell as the mother of Jack Twist. She is probably on screen for less than five minutes,but her performance had me thinking about her for days after seeing the movie.

Beautifully shot,with breathtaking scenery,great performances,and stunning attention to detail, I cannot recommend this film highly enough.The haunting and subtle music of Gustavo Santaollala adds another layer to the already powerful emotions dealt with. It is refreshing to see a film dealing with gay men that does not have a Gloria Gaynor song, or a cross-dressing,mincing hairdresser in sight.For too long that simplistic stereotyped view of how gay men act or look has been how the cinema has shown gays. And finally this film shows the reality. Gay men are real men,not the androgynous joke that ignorant people like to imagine.

This DVD set has informative extras such as: The making of Brokeback Mountain, An interview with Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossanna, On being A Cowboy, The music behind the movie, An instrumental slide show of scenes from the film, and an interesting review of the impact of the movie. There are 8 colour postcards included with the two discs.Brokeback Mountain deserved the best picture oscar,no question about it.
In summary: A deeply affecting,gorgeously made movie. Buy it.

A beautiful, moving film
Rating:5
I found this film really moving. From the moment the 2 characters met each other I was hooked. The acting is amazing, truly beautiful acting from all the cast especially Heath and Jake as they are the leads. The scenery is stunning. I can see the film may not appeal to all but there is no doubt this is a wonderfully directed story. This is one of my all time favourites.

Boring, Slow, Depressing. Only good thing the scenery.
Rating:1
A typical 'woman's' film.

Boring, slow, depressing, sentimental.

A tale of deception and dishonesty.

Instead of telling their wives they were actively bisexual, the two leads instead decided to have children and live a lie.

One of the leads after his divorce then repeats his mistake with a new girlfriend causing another round of misery.

Avoid.