A Beautiful Mind

Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connolly, Ed Harris, Paul Bettany, Josh Lucas, Christopher Plummer
Directed by: Ron Howard
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2001

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: John Nash (Russell Crowe) is a brilliant mathematician. His life is turned upside down when he is approached by a government agent (Ed Harris) who asks him to do top secret decoding work of Soviet information. As he becomes more and more paranoid that someone is trying to kill him, a startling discovery threatens to destroy everything he knows.

Review:

Tim: This is an amazing piece of filmmaking. Director Ron Howard takes the story of John Nash and turns it into a near masterpiece. Biopics, when done right, are amazing to behold, and this is done outstandingly well.

Russell Crowe is good in just about everything he does, but he is especially magnificent here. You just need to see his performance- both the moments of brilliance, the descent into madness, and the difficult climb out. He's incredible.

Jennifer Connolly gives an amazing performance as well. She gives a strong-willed and memorable performance. Paul Bettany is terrific as well and works beautifully with Crowe. Ed Harris is decent in a tough role.

Ron Howard uses some amazing special effects to show Nash's brilliance. Watch for these scenes because they are the work of genius (both Nash's and Howard's).

This film works because of the approach taken by the writers and the director. The story of John Nash needs to be told, but when it is told in this fashion- slowly, not revealing everything until late in the film, it offers up an incredibly exciting and fascinating look at the mind of a genius and what happens when the fabric of the mind begins to unravel.

A Beautiful Mind is an incredible piece of filmmaking that features a truly stunning performance by Crowe. Every person needs to see this movie. It is truly a beautiful film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Gladiator, Proof, The Hours