A Beautiful Mind

A film devoted to the impressively heavy burden of mental illness, one that affects even the most brilliant people. Russel Crowe delivers a compelling performance and, to this day, with all due respect to Denzel Washington, I cannot understand how he did not win an Oscar. Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly provide excellent support to him. (2007-03-13)

I simply don’t like Russell Crowe, and I tend to avoid films with him. But when you’re at your girlfriend's parents' place, you don’t get to choose the film. So, we ended up watching A Beautiful Mind. Hoping that Crowe didn't team up with Ridley Scott—a combination that is truly deadly for me—I was optimistic that the film wouldn't be that bad. And it wasn't. Even though I've seen a lot of films lately where everything is a bit different, this one really got to me. Crowe is incredible, and I can’t understand how he could win an Oscar for Gladiator but not for this. I can genuinely recommend the film to anyone even slightly interested in game theory and decision-making. It's presented in a way that everyone can understand, and it's also an acting showcase. Until the end, the audience, unfamiliar with Nash's life, isn't sure what is really going on with him. My opinion on Crowe hasn't changed, but at least he convinced me that he can act. (2013-02-13)

They say that if you’re part of something exceptional, you’re exceptional too. If that’s true, then this film is the perfect example. Exceptional direction (rightfully awarded), exceptional Jennifer Connelly (also rightfully awarded), an exceptional score, and, most importantly, Crowe’s exceptional yet criminally underrated performance. Altogether, it creates an emotionally powerful, exceptional cinematic experience. I’ve never used the word "exceptional" so many times in one review, and that should say it all—100%. (2011-01-14)

This film is held up by Russel Crowe’s performance, without which it would be just a slightly above-par drama like countless others. A Beautiful Mind is certainly worth watching; thanks to the fairly interesting plot, those two hours and something go by quite fast, but I seriously doubt it will make enough of an impression on anyone to remember and admire it over time. To achieve that, it’s missing either a stronger ending (in this sense, I think the best moment is somewhere around the middle, when the viewer gets to know you know what, while the last half hour sort of fades away), or a more distinctive direction – Ron Howard is a good craftsman, but nothing more than that. 7/10 (2008-09-09)

A riveting film in the truest sense of the word. Riveting not only in its action (the car chase, the chase on the university campus), but especially in the portrayal itself – the scene where Adam Smith is doubted and revised is absolutely perfect and shows Ron Howard's creative potential at its best (even though I had some doubts about him up to this point). Russell Crowe's performance is a separate chapter of this film. His character perfectly presents a "state of mind" that is pure genius, but at the same time terribly dangerous. As in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, for example, the viewer watches a large part of the main character's life and experiences his complex transformation onscreen (although in this case, of course, the transformation is very specific). The episodic nature of the whole film is also well handled, each individual "episode" of the main character's life perfectly maps one or another part of his life and together creates a fantastic, emotionally charged work. And yes, jam-packed would be an understatement in this case :)) (2011-12-28)