By SUSAN LULGJURAJ

In the thrilling Civil War epic, Jude Law plays Inman, a young lonely man in the town of Cold Mountain. He embarks on his own “Odyssey” to make it back to the woman he loves – Scarlet O’Hara, I mean, Ada Monroe played by Nicole Kidman.

”Cold Mountain” isn’t a love story as the trailers would make the audience out to believe. Director Anthony Minghella tries to sell it as a love story with the two characters going through four years of a war and never seeing each other and living on just hope. There is more love in the sweeping landscapes and beautiful long range shots of Romania than between these two characters.

Although the love making scene is sexy, but that’s about it.

The story is more about survival. Kidman’s survival through the Civil War years on her farm that she knows nothing about. By releasing the slaves she has working there the farm might turn to dust soon, but thankfully Ruby Thewes (Renee Zellweger) is put upon Ada to help out. Ada has to learn how to cook and do pretty much everything associated with farming and keeping a massive land. Just like little old Scarlet.

It’s hard to route for a couple or even believe that these two characters live only for each other when most of the movie takes place with the two of them apart. The scenes that we do see them together are kept to a bare minimum in conversation thus learning barely anything about the characters except they find each other good looking and they share one kiss literally seconds before Inman leaves to join the Confederate Army.

While the movie is wonderfully made and the adventures the characters must face, notably Inman’s Homer-like “Odyssey” stories of survival, I couldn’t help but be disappointed. It’s not that Law or Kidman were bad at their parts, they re fine actors in whatever role they are in. It’s just that Renee Zellweger, as a supporting member of the cast, was just so much better than the two of them.

The spunk of Ruby and the likeability of the character over the main ones was disturbing to the point that I was just waiting for Zellweger to come on screen to able to actually believe in someone rather than this far fetched love story.

I just wish Inman and Ada dated for a year before they decided they were in love with each other. They might have had different ideas as to what survival is. Try surviving with the opposite sex in the same house.