--- title: "Brokeback Mountain: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/brokeback-mountain/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/brokeback-mountain" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Brokeback Mountain (2005): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 7 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Brokeback Mountain as a moving account of forbidden love, with praise centred on Ang Lee’s restraint and the performances. Heath Ledger receives particular attention for making Ennis’s suppressed feelings visible without spelling them out, while Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Williams also earn praise. The reviews repeatedly connect the spacious landscapes with the intimacy of the story, and find Lee’s treatment of lost opportunity accessible without sacrificing emotional depth. Reservations concern the pacing and the expansion of the source material rather than the acting. Slant Magazine supplies the clearest dissent, finding the film overlong and too politely directed, with its performers doing much of the work of sustaining it. The Guardian, by contrast, welcomes the fuller treatment of the story and the dramatic presence given to the wives. The balance is firmly positive, though Lee’s restraint strikes some as affecting and others as a limitation. ## Radio Times — Adam Smith Rating 5/5. The critic calls it an exquisitely made and moving account of suppressed love that transcends the 'gay western' label. They single out the wrenching final sequence and the superb performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger for praise. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-v2c881/brokeback-mountain/) ## Empire — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 January 2006. The critic praises Ang Lee's film as possibly his finest, a romantic and accessible blend of arthouse style with emotional depth, highlighting the beauty of the landscape and Heath Ledger's revelatory performance as the tortured Ennis. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/brokeback-mountain-review/) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 January 2006. The review calls it a masterly adaptation and heartbreaking tale, commending the stunning vistas, Ledger's tragic hero turn, and Lee's richly emotional direction that deserves Oscar recognition. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/brokeback-mountain-review/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2005. The critic praises the film's austere direction and strong performances, especially Heath Ledger's, for capturing repressed passion and its consequences. The review highlights how the story illustrates that unfulfilled desires leave characters ghostly and unfulfilled. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/brokeback-mountain-1798308368) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2005. The critic finds the film overly long and politely directed compared to its source material but commends the expressive performances, particularly Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger, for conveying the sadness of hidden love. It singles out the actors for salvaging a story that stretches thin. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/brokeback-mountain/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 6 January 2006. The critic praises the film as a rich, spacious and passionate love story told with superb intelligence and magnificent candour, beautifully composed and wonderfully acted. He singles out the central performances and the way the film expands the source short story while giving dramatic presence to the wives. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/jan/06/3) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane 5 December 2005. The critic praises the film as a moving love story that gains power from the characters' thwarted happiness and the director's restraint. He highlights the final shot and the elegiac tone as particularly affecting elements that linger after the credits. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/12/12/new-frontiers) ## The New York Times — Stephen Holden 9 December 2005. The critic finds the film a heartbreaking epic western about two cowboys whose accidental love endures despite societal pressures and personal tragedies. He singles out the lead performances, especially Heath Ledger's transformative portrayal, for making the anguish physically palpable. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/09/movies/riding-the-high-country-finding-and-losing-love.html) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun 20 December 2005. The critic praises Ang Lee's sensitive and intelligent adaptation as a radical mainstream Hollywood gay love story, highlighting its accessible themes of forbidden love and lost opportunity. They single out the subtle character differences between the two leads and Heath Ledger's superb performance as particularly moving. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/london/film/brokeback-mountain) ## Digital Spy — Daniel Saney Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 8 January 2006. The critic calls the film one of the best and most important love stories put to screen, crediting its seamless adaptation, careful pacing, and universal appeal beyond the issue of sexuality. They single out the superb acting by the entire cast, especially Ledger and Gyllenhaal, for bringing complexity to the central characters. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a27996/brokeback-mountain/) ## Eye for Film — Darren Amner Rating 4/5. 2 September 2005. The critic praises Ang Lee's deft handling of forbidden love between two cowboys, the breathtaking visuals of the Wyoming landscapes, and strong performances, especially from Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams. It is described as more than a gay cowboy movie thanks to a well-written script with funny moments, making it an enjoyable artsy film and guilty pleasure. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/brokeback-mountain-film-review-by-darren-amner) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/brokeback-mountain.md