This movie tells the twenty-year tale of two cowboys, who meet as they prepare to head up Brokeback Mountain one year to watch sheep. Yes, they are headed up the mountain to keep an eye on the sheep. The two will stay there and one will keep the camp while the other keeps an eye on the sheep.

It’s not a glamorous job, but apparently the pay is good (they don’t actually mention it – I’m assuming that it must be, or they wouldn’t do it for months on end). Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) go up the mountain as strangers, but they come down as a whole lot more than friends, which is a tough thing in the sixties. It’s not an easy thing now. Then they go their separate ways.

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Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood, who also directed) is, by most accounts, trying to hide in his gym. He’s content to finish out his years with his friend, Eddie Dupris (Morgan Freeman) by his side. Unfortunately, like doesn’t always work out the way that we have it planned.

One day, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) comes in and tells Frankie that she’d like to box. There are two reasons that this is bad. One is that Maggie has little, if any, boxing talent. Two is that she just won’t go away, and that bothers Frankie more than anything. He just wants to be left alone. But like most things, if you stick with it long enough, you may just get your wish, and Maggie does. Eventually, Frankie gives in and agrees to be her trainer – but only as long as she gives it everything she has.

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