A very moving experience

Rating: 9/10 (31 March 2002)

I watched this movie after it won 4 Oscars, but I would have seen it anyway, I think. I had possibly avoided it because of the subject matter, in that, whilst not being scizophrenic, I have endured my own mental problems in my time. The Oscar ceremony persuaded me to see what all the fuss was about. I am so glad that I made that decision. I am very relieved it beat the likes of 'Moulin Rouge' and 'The Lord of the Rings' for, although I thought that both of those films were good, neither deserved to be considered as 'best film'. Personally, 'Amelie' was my favourite film of the year, but 'A Beautiful Mind' has to be the best film. I was quite shocked by the depth of Russell Crowe's talent. It's a shame he won the Oscar last year - I thought Tom Hanks should have won for 'Castaway'. Had he not done so, I'm sure he would have scooped the award this year. I've not seen 'Training Day' but this role demanded acting on many different levels. Crowe dominates the film with his performance; the perfect contrast of the brains versus the brawn of 'Gladiator'. Actually, if anything, I think his menacing thug-cop in 'LA Confidential' was a better performance than in 'Gladiator'. Anyway, apart from Crowe, I cannot fathom why Jennifer Connely did not win a Best Actress Oscar. Is there a screen time presence rule? If not, I feel she should have won in that category. I haven't previously particularly liked Ron Howard films, and I thought 'The Grinch' was pretty dire, but his direction is perfect here. It may not be totally factually accurate but it made for great film-making. For a while, whilst on a 'high' leaving the cinema, I couldn't think of a better movie. 9/10.