Two nights ago, while our casserole cooked, we watched the 2003 film Cold Mountain. This Civil War movie, while quite long, maintained its pacing and balanced its gore against some heartfelt pondering about the nature of love and war. The plot centers around a southern soldier who, having deserted the front lines after an injury, tries to make his way back to the love he left at home. Along the way, he encounters the private tragedies of the many nameless people whose lives the war has disrupted. Meanwhile, his love is forced to learn to care for herself and the farm with the help of a drifter family of sorts. The movie pulls you along with its current of emotions, and you barely have a moment to stop and wonder at how gorgeous all these Civil War-era folk are (Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Natalie Portman) before the final credits are rolling.
Rating: 80/100
Chocolate; Sometimes Other Flavors 
I agree with your assessment; I liked this film probably more than I thought I would. The evolution of Kidman’s character was well done, and this may have been the first time I actually admired her acting. Zellweger’s Oscar was also well-deserved, I thought.
The ending was cliche, but there probably wasn’t an “original” way to bring the trip home to a close.