A beautiful film, rich with able filmmaking and gripping storytelling

Rating: 9/10 (19 March 2014)

A Beautiful Mind is an outstanding cinematic achievement. On one hand, that is because of truly Oscar-worthy filmmaking in every possible aspect, but on the other, graver hand, this is due to it introducing a mass audience to mental disorders. As all but an expert on this topic, I'm in no position to assess whether the film is realistic and respectful to actual patients, but bringing people closer to the minds of schizophrenics and other mentally ill by making a star-studded Hollywood film out of their perspective is rating praise already.
Ron Howard realized a great mixture of drama, romance, action, and humour with A Beautiful Mind, something many directors attempt to do nowadays, clearly resulting from the award-winning prospect it brings along, but only very few succeed in. Story-wise, the film is immensely entertaining, touching, and just as beautiful as its title suggests. Another major merit of the four-time Oscar winner is its lead actor Russell Crowe, going from heroic action star in Gladiator to socially awkward genius in just two years. He performs extraordinarily in both productions, but his portrayal of the real-life figure John Nash is a far greater achievement. His on-screen partners do wonderful work as well, even if some of the characters do conform to stereotypes.
The film's cinematography is of no lesser quality, capturing the past times the story is set in in gorgeous colours and imaginative shots, such as Paul Bettany defenestrating a desk out in Princeton's snowed campus or the seasons passing outside while John is working on the theory of his lifetime. All of that is accompanied by a James Horner score as melodic and fitting as hardly any other in film history and one that is also a pleasure to listen to on its own.
Thus, A Beautiful Mind is a more than deserving Best Picture winner at the Oscars and a film worth watching more than once.