A Superlative Acting Film

Rating: 10/10 (27 June 2002)

I have viewed "A Beautiful Mind" a few times now and I can say with great confidence that in addition to being a tremendous piece of drama, Russell Crowe gives one of the great acting performances I have ever seen. Many films have been made with actors aging quite convincingly, but no 30-something-year-old has ever pulled off the aging process better. Watch the scene where Russell is given the Nobel at Princeton. As a man now in his seventies, his speech to the committee rep is masterful; no contemporary actor commands the screen like Crowe. This movie owes a great deal of its success to its lead.
In the tradition of great films, Mind also benefits from strong supporting acting with the likes of Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer, and a thankless, yet crucial role by the always great Ed Harris. As good as some of Ron Howard's films have been (Apollo 13, Parenthood), he buries the quality of his previous work with this one. Kudos to those that had faith that a movie about an antisocial mathematician's life could be so engaging and moving. The only disappointment for me was witnessing the politics that robbed Crowe of his Oscar. You will be hard pressed to find a better performance in any film.