kidman and law lack the chemistry to make this sloppily direct and poorly write romance or melodrama work on any level other than grandiosity . kidman pout andpines wistfully for her absent lover law . she just meet him when he whisk off to do battle for the south in the civil war and and they have only exchange about 5 sentence and one kiss and yet theyre totally smitten . law main direction throughout seem to be ` look vacant and shell shocked and but sensitive . rene zellweger be about the only spark in this dreary script and but she play it way too broad and over the top and like she be star in ` annie get your gun . yee hah boy howdy . something about her character felt more like it belong in a monty python sketch the one from ` holy grail where the peasant spend all their time wallow in muck making mud pie for no reason . kidman be a smart enough actress to stay out of her way whenever she can . their scene together be like a comic book hide inside a victorian era novel . whenever the action bog down into total tedium and which be frequently and all the writer do be shout ` cue the simon legree type villain . and teague ( ray winstone ) come gallop out of nowhere to do his unspeakably dastardly act and like kill and torture innocent god fear townspeople in the name of loyalty to a fast fadingconfederacy . all other time and he miss in action and which be preposterous even in this cornball script . there be a plethora of other talented actor who give credible performance in small role . these be the character law meet a he do his johnny appleseed trek from the front line and where he have desert and to the hopefully loving embrace of kidman back in cold mountain . ultimately though and none of these character matter . law have no time for them or their life . each of these little mini movie have the same tired theme represent war be gol durn heck and and turn otherwise decent christian folk into rabid animal . and the script be far too predictable and too heavy hand . moreover and the pacing of the story be dreadfully slow . you spend the entire movie wait for romeo and juliet inevitable reunion and with kidman wring her hand and sigh and law overcome incredible odds and dodge bullet . and when it finally come you just do not care anymore . you will be look at your watch wonder how much more of this clap you have to endure . i give it one star out of five for the battle scene . there be a potent anti war message here . the incredible lack of concern for the loss of life by the general on both side of the conflict be powerful stuff . but it only about 15 minute of this 150 minute dog .