Ron Howard's best direction so far

Rating: 8/10 (30 December 2001)

Greetings again from the darkness. Masterful moviemaking can look so easy as a finished product. Ron Howard seems to be peaking as a movie maker. Still though, he continues to get caught up in melodrama, but much less so in this fine film. Mumbling Russell Crowe is outstanding (again) as the brilliant, but haunted Dr. John Nash. Jennifer Connelly stands toe-to-toe with Crowe in every scene. If you are unfamiliar with Connelly's work, check out "The Hot Spot". It's a sleeper with Don Johnson and Virginia Madsen. WOW! As usual, Ron Howard has produced a few interesting notes. He has regular appearance of family members, including veteran actor dad, Rance. Also, note the brief appearance of super-casting director (more than 100 films) of Jane Jenkins. Regular film-goers will easily recognize her name. This movie is not your typical bio pic. This movie is about mental illness and both Nash's brave attempt to fight the disease with as little medication as possible. This film makes a statement that disease is often too quickly treated with pills and not compassion, support and grit. Wonderful supporting roles by Christopher Plummer and the under-utilized Judd Hirsch make this a truly masterful picture. Some of Ed Harris's scenes were overblown, but probably had to be to make the point they were making. Very few light moments in this one, but a must see.