Brokeback Mountain Movie Cast, Plot and Everything to Know

Dec. 22, 2008

Brokeback Mountain

Release Date: Friday, December 9, 2005

James Schamus, Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, David Harbour, Heath Ledger, Diana Ossana, E. Annie Proulx, Anna Faris, Ang Lee, Larry McMurtry, Scott Michael Campbell, Scott Ferguson, Michael Hausman, William Pohlad

R Drama N/A

4.4

62% WILL SEE

38% WON'T SEE

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Plot

What's the story about?

Set against the sweeping vistas of Wyoming and Texas, the film tells the story of two young men—a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy—who meet in the summer of 1963, and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys, and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love. Early one morning in Signal, Wyoming, Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) meet while lining up for employment with local rancher Joe Aguirre (Randy Quaid). The world which Ennis and Jack have been born into is at once changing rapidly and yet scarcely evolving. Both young men seem certain of their set places in the heartland—obtaining steady work, marrying, and raising a family—and yet hunger for something beyond what they can articulate. When Aguirre dispatches them to work as sheepherders up on the majestic Brokeback Mountain, they gravitate towards camaraderie and then a deeper intimacy.

At summer's end, the two must come down from Brokeback and part ways. Remaining in Wyoming, Ennis weds his sweetheart Alma (Michelle Williams), with whom he will have two daughters as he ekes out a living. Jack, in Texas, catches the eye of rodeo queen Lureen Newsome (Anne Hathaway). Their courtship and marriage result in a son, as well as jobs in her father's business. Four years pass. One day, Alma brings Ennis a postcard from Jack, who is en route to visit Wyoming. Ennis waits expectantly for his friend, and when Jack at last arrives, in just one moment it is clear that the passage of time has only strengthened the men's attachment. In the years that follow, Ennis and Jack struggle to keep their secret bond alive. They meet up several times annually. Even when they are apart, they face the eternal questions of fidelity, commitment, and trust. Ultimately, the one constant in their lives is a force of nature—love.

Drama Romance Western

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Top Cast

The lead cast starring in Brokeback Mountain.

Jake Gyllenhaal
Life, The Bride!
H
Heath Ledger
The Dark Knight, Casanova
Anne Hathaway
Sesame Street, Les Misérables
Michelle Williams
Venom, Oz: The Great and Powerful
S
Scott Michael Campbell
Push
Anna Faris
Scary Movie 3, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
David Harbour
A Working Man, Night of the Zoopocalypse

Crew Behind the Film

The Brokeback Mountain behind-the-scenes crew and production team.

The film's director Ang Lee last directed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Gemini Man. The film's writer Larry McMurtry last wrote Joe Bell and Boone's Lick.