Even with all of the kudos Bareback Mounting Brokeback Mountain has received, thus far, I still entered the film cautiously. For starters, I’d like to say that I ‘m 100% behind films dealing with gay issues (as Dodd would put it…not a gay joke), however I was concerned that Bareback would receive credit for being a typical Hollywood love story that happened to be about two men.

Boy, was I wrong.

Brokeback Mountain is, in fact, a love story in the great cinematic sense. I’m willing to go out on a limb and compare it to some of the great classic love stories such as Casablanca or Singin’ in the Rain. I also am willing to say that, while what makes this film unique are the same-sex issues and the restrictions they impose on the two main characters, the greatness of this film truly lies in the love story between two people and doesn’t rely on the gay issues to tell the story.

There isn’t a whole lot that can be said about Brokeback Mountain that hasn’t already been said, but allow me to indulge in my own self-importance and imagine for a few moments that my particular take is worthy of your time.

Firstly, there is no aspect of this film which hinders it as a whole. While it is far from a perfect production, all aspects of the film are so expertly handled that I, for one, would have no complaints about it receiving the Best Picture nod at the Oscars.

While not as impressed with his past work as I am with this piece, Ang Lee does a phenomenal job directing. I, generally, tend to favor directors who push the envelope and experiment with the medium, but in this case find Lee’s directing to be the perfect angle for the story at hand. The story alone pushes the envelope with regard to Hollywood-system films and doesn’t need a director to push things any further.

The performances were mind-blowing, not the best this year, but outstanding in the sense that the Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, and Michelle Williams have never performed anywhere near this level, and as well, I find it hard to believe that they will ever reach this point again.

The weakest role lies in that of Anne Hathaway as Gyllenhaal’s wife of 10-20 years. While not a bad performance, Hathaway is unconvincing over the time progression and retains the look of a teenager, while the character should easily have reached her 30’s or 40’s. While not matching with the rest of the film, this was the weakest link on a pretty pristine chain.

Overall, the film is one of the highest quality films Hollywood has tossed out in some time. From the direction and writing to the performances and cinematography, this is one of the most solid films of the year. While it’s questionable how on my top 10 it’ll reach, there’s no doubt it’s a truly promising piece of work.