Great movie and great direction but ...

Rating: Null/10 (29 March 2002)

This movie deserves a 8/10 rating.Especially Ron Howard has done an excellent job.Also by Jennifer Connelly and of course Akiva Goldsman.But I don't understand what this fuss about Russell Crowe is all about. Of course, there is no doubt that he did an excellent job in this movie and he deserved a nomination he got but then it all ends there itself. Honestly, I don't think he even deserved the Oscar for 'GLADIATOR'. The movie totally belonged to Ridley Scott and the Visual Effects Supervisors.Perhaps as a personal opinion of me, the best performance by Russell Crowe was in the two movies 'L.A. CONFIDENTIAL' and 'THE INSIDER' for which he deserved an Oscar (which is didn't win).Actually speaking the above FOUR(including 'A BEAUTIFUL MIND') are the only SENSIBLE movies, which Crowe could be credited for, till today(at the time of writing this comment).
Compared to Crowe check out the List of some of the SENSIBLE movies of Denzel Washington :CRY FREEDOM, GLORY, A SOLDIER'S STORY, MALCOLM X, PELICAN BRIEF, PHILADELPHIA, CRIMSON TIDE, COURAGE UNDER FIRE, FALLEN, THE SIEGE, THE HURRICANE, TRAINING DAY(which was not a great movie but a great performance which rightfully deserved an Oscar) and there's lot more to come...And Washington has been sensible from the start of his career and NOT just the last THREE years. Best of luck to Crowe as he now face-to-face and will be in the future with a formidable WALL called Denzel Washington.