Thin line, what is real, what is not?

Rating: Null/10 (5 January 2002)

And what is sanity, and what is not? These are asked of us the audience over and over in this movie. I know it had me going a few times.
SPOILERS!!!!!!

For example, his British sounding roomie and her niece, well into the movie, you find out, Don't Exist. Had me going, esp. when you consider his earlier dorm scenes.
Ed Harris-did he ever exist, say for at least One or two early missions for the Pentagon? Probably not-he certainly isn't there later on-but as Nash(Crowe)did clearly work for the Defence Dept in some capacity-it does make you wonder.
You hadda like his line to the Nobel Prize guy-are you really there?-do you see him?-late in the film. Quite funny, too.
End SPOILERS.
Performances-Crowe, as good as you could want, Ed Harris trotting out the reliable steely eyed Spook, Plummer, Brettany, all good. Jennifer Connelly-as always skillful, beautiful, vastly underrated, finally has a Big Role in a Big Flick to boost her profile/career. And it's about time. She is very good here, her and Crowe a believable couple coping with a terrible disease.
It's hard to watch the shock treatment scenes, and it's sad to realize the guy spent years burrowed inside a wall of Conspiracy which didn't exist outside his own mind.
Oscar will be all over this, as it should be. Crowe turns in another magnetic, completely believable Robert Mitchum like performance here, it's his best.
***1/2 outta ****, Ron Howard does it again.