Ron Howard's best film

Rating: Null/10 (6 January 2002)

This is Ron Howard's best film without question. There has always been an element of fluff with Howard's movies. Not always but frequently. This is a masterpiece of intelligence with Oscar worthy performances by both Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly. The film tackles mental illness with subtlety and yet at the same time with a great deal of power without sensationalizing its subject. I was moved at the boundaries between illusion and reality and was relieved to finally know which was which. But most importantly, this is a love story. John Nash would not have been able to overcome his problems without his wife, Alicia. She was the foundation for his return to functional life. The espionage angle is quick, shallow and perfect for tying in the film's real meaning. One of the best films of 2001, this film is almost on par with the mother of all mental illness films, 1975's 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'. Ron Howard has come a very long way.