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Cold Mountain | 2003 | R | - 7.7.4

Set in 1864: After a woman (Nicole Kidman) loses everything except her decaying farm, she must try to survive while waiting for the man (Jude Law) she loves to return to her from the Civil War. She is helped by another woman (Renee Zellweger) and some neighbors, but she finds that she must also fight off the attentions of a man who has proclaimed himself the law in her community. Also with Eileen Atkins and Brendan Gleeson. Directed by Anthony Minghella. [2:35]

SEX/NUDITY 7 - A woman drops her top (we see her bare breasts), lifts her skirt (we see her bare buttocks), invites a man to have sex with her, and he touches her buttocks. A man forces a woman on to a table, lifts her skirt and kisses her neck (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details). Three nude women lie around a man on the ground (we see bare breasts and buttocks), one climbs on top of him and thrusts, he moans. A woman kisses a man, a woman caresses a man's thigh, and a woman tells another woman to masturbate on a man. A man and a woman kiss, undress each other (we see bare backs, breasts and buttocks), caress each other, kiss, and he thrusts on top of her. A man and a woman kiss and hug, and a man and a woman kiss. A woman asks a man to lie with her, she touches his hand and rests her head on his shoulder. A man and a woman look at each other longingly. Men talk about a woman's beauty. We see a nude man from behind (bare buttocks and a hint of scrotum through his legs). A man wears long johns and we can see the shape of his private parts. We see a man bare-chested. Women wear low-cut dresses that reveal cleavage. We see women sleeping with bare shoulders exposed. A woman asks another woman is she ever had sex with the man she loves. We hear that a woman has been made pregnant by a priest -- he's not her husband. A woman says about a man, "I'm gonna make him hug me 'til I grunt." A woman puts her infant to her breast trying to nurse him. Two men tease another man about having a man for a wife.

VIOLENCE/GORE 7 - There are several war scenes: Explosives are laid under ground, and when they explode men are thrown through the air, clothes are blown off men as they run, and wounded men crawl out from under rubble. A large wave of soldiers charges at the wounded men with bayonets drawn, the troops are stopped by a wall, and they are trapped there, where they are shot at, bayonets are thrown at them, and many are hit. Cannons are fired, a man is hit in the chest by a bayonet, men are slashed with knives, a man's neck is slashed, and a young man is stabbed in the stomach (he screams in agony). Men jump into the crowd, men are trampled, men are shot at close range (blood sprays), men's faces are stepped on and pushed into the mud, and after the battle we see many bloody bodies piled up. A woman digs a bullet out of a man's back with a hot knife (we see a bloody wound). A man forces a woman on to a table, lifts her skirt and kisses her neck, another man hits him in the back with a hatchet and he falls on top of her. A dead man is strung to a laundry line (we see his blood stained clothing). Two young men are shot and fall to the ground, and a woman shoots a man in the back as he runs away. Two men are shot: one in the head and he slumps to the ground (we see a bloody hole in his head), the other in the chest and he rolls down a hill (we see a bloody wound on his back). A man shoots at a man, a man shoots a man, and two men shoot at each other simultaneously (one slumps over on his horse and the other spits blood and rides away). A woman shoots a man, a man shoots a woman, and a woman beats a man with a rifle. A group of men and women (runaway slaves) are chased by armed men and dogs (we hear gunshots and screaming and it is suggested that they have all been killed). A woman in a row boat is shot and falls into the water. A man holds a gun on several men and a man is stabbed in the heart. A woman is tortured by having her fingers crushed between fence boards and her neck is wrapped with a rope. Men shoot back and forth across a field, and a man is shot in the back and neck (his mouth is filled with blood and he gurgles and gags). Men are chained together and forced to walk by soldiers, they run and are chased by soldiers with guns who shoot three of them. A woman is tied to a post, her sick infant is put on the cold ground and two soldiers threaten her (trying to get information). A man is caught in a trap (we see some blood), a woman finds him, kicks him and holds a gun on him. A man carries an unconscious woman to a ledge over a body of water and plans to drop her in (hoping to kill her). A man cuts a dead cow into pieces with a saw (we see him pulling the blade back and forth and hear ripping and tearing). A woman kills a goat by stabbing it in the throat and she collects the blood in a bowl. A woman grabs a turkey and pulls its head off (we see the head bounce on the ground when she tosses it down), and a woman shoots a turkey. A man dies and blood stains the snow around him. A young man dies from his wounds in a field hospital. A hospital scene shows many wounded men with bloody wounds, we hear flies buzzing around them and two women react to the smell of decaying flesh. A man hits a woman in the face and she falls to the floor. A rooster attacks a woman biting her on the hand, she screams and we see her bleeding. We see coffins with bodies in them, their shoes are removed and lids are nailed on. A man drags three dead bodies to which he is chained. A man dies of heart failure (we see him after the attack, sitting motionless in a chair), and a woman tells a man that her husband has been killed in the war. A man winces when salve is applied to his wounds. A woman argues with a man and yells. A man vomits. A man eats live crabs (we see the claws wriggling as he puts them in his mouth). A man runs into a patch of shrubs to have a bowel movement. A man talks about being severely constipated. A woman skins a sheep and puts the pelt on another sheep.

LANGUAGE 4 - 11 scatological terms, 3 anatomical terms, 3 mild obscenities, 1 derogatory term for African-Americans, 2 religious exclamations.

SUBSTANCE USE - People are shown drinking and smoking.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - The U.S. Civil War, slavery, courage, grief, desertion, harboring deserters, love, fidelity, going home.

MESSAGE - Make peace with the past and learn from it.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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