Eva Rinaldi , CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
By Geoff Carter
Russell Crowe burst onto the American movie scene with his riveting performance as police detective Bud White in the box-office smash L.A. Confidential. His magnetic screen presence and rugged good looks are reminiscent of leading men from an earlier period in Hollywood film. He is, in many ways, like a Robert Mitchum, a Steve McQueen, or a Paul Newman, performers whose acting skills were often overshadowed by their good looks and star personas. Yet, like these other actors, Crowe is blessed with a talent that allows him to portray a range of characters including a Nobel laureate, a general, a canny British sea captain, and a humble family man who finds himself in a boxing match for the heavyweight championship of the world.
While Crowe is often typecast as a tough guy, there is a layer of brooding sensitivity lurking just beneath the surface of his persona that implies layers of emotional complexity within. As Captain Jack Aubrey in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Crowe embodies a stern but fair commander dedicated to the navy and his ship but who also displays a genuine joie de vivre and strong empathy toward his crew. In a scene where one of his young lieutenants undergoes his amputation, the compassion he shows for the young man is worn on his sleeve.
Crowe’s prowess as a comic actor is also underrated. In the neo-noir comedy The Nice Guys, his chemistry with co-star Ryan Gosling and their sense of comic timing is impeccably executed. As Aubrey, while throwing a dinner or his officers, Crowe’s joy at blindsiding the ship’s doctor with a simply terrible pun is absolutely delightful.
With Crowe, as with Mitchum or Newman or McQueen, there is more than meets the eye. He’s not just another pretty face or nicely put together leading man. He can be a deep well of brooding sensitivities or an ordinary man weighed down with smothering guilt or a simple family man—who happens to be a champion boxer—who is trying to keep his family together.
With Russell Crowe, there is always more than meets the eye.
The Ten Best Films of Russell Crowe
A Beautiful Mind: In this biopic by Ron Howard, Crowe plays Noble Laureate Winner Jon Nash, a brilliant economist who suffered from schizophrenia. The film traces Nash from his early days at Princeton and his early successes, including an appointment to MIT, before he his illness sets in, and he begins experiences hallucinations. He is recruited by CIA agent William Parcher (Ed Harris to study encrypted Soviet messages. Parcher asks him to investigate a Soviet conspiracy coded in newspapers and magazines. Discovering this, his wife Alicia realizes he is hallucinating and helps get him treatment. As the illness progresses, Nash loses his position and endangers his family before finally accepting his condition. He eventually—without medication—overcomes his disability and leads a somewhat normal life. Crowe’s performance as Nash, ranging from his youthful exuberance to the realization that he is, in fact, insane, is a marvelous piece of work. He is, in turns, bewildered, arrogant, frightened, and completely delusional.
Starring: Russell Crowe, Paul Bethany, Jennifer Connelly, Adam Goldberg, Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, and Anthony Rapp. Written by Akiva Goldsman. Directed by Ron Howard
Master and Commander: In this period piece based on C.S. Forester’s outstanding novel series about a British naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars, Crowe plays Lucky Jack Aubrey, the commander of the frigate Surprise, a warship tasked with intercepting, and destroying or capturing the French ship Acheron. The brash Aubrey, together with his friend, ship surgeon and scholarly naturalist Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany), survive a surprise attack off Brazil and then proceed to follow the Acheron around the Cape Horn and finally reach the Galapagos, where the Surprise stops for supplies and discovers that Acheron is there on the other side of the island. As Jack Aubrey, Crowe tempers his usual emotional intensity with Aubrey’s positive disposition. He is driven to conquer his enemy, by Aubrey is a complex man, a warrior close to his crew, but a scholar who plays string duets with the doctor in his cabin.
Starring: Russell Crowe, Paul Bethany, James D’Arcy, Max Pirkis, Max Benitz, Edward Woodall, and Bill Boyd. Screenplay by Peter Weir and John Collee. Directed by Peter Weir.
Cinderella Man: Ron Howard’s biopic of down-on-his-luck boxer James J. Braddock, who rose from obscurity and poverty to vie for the heavyweight championship of the world is one of Crowe’s best performances. As the film starts, Braddock (Crowe) is at the top of his game, but after a hand injury, and when the Depression hits, he is reduced to working on the docks and begging to keep his family together. When manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti) wrangles a match with heavyweight contender Corn Griffin (Art Binkowski), Braddock starts an unlikely comeback that culminates in a match with the ruthless and animalistic Max Baer (Craig Bierko). The film draws a profound parallel between Braddock’s comeback and those beaten down by the Depression. As Braddock, Crowe exudes a humility and honesty not often seen in his rules. His Braddock is a genuinely nice guy working to feed his family. The scenes with his wife Mae (Rene Zellweger) tend to get a little syrupy, but the saccharine is balanced by the magnificent boxing sequences.
Starring: Russell Crowe, Paul Giamatti, Rene Zellweger, Craig Bierko, Bruce McGill, Paddy Considine, and Chuck Shamata. Screenplay by Cliff Hollingsworth and Akiva Goldsman. Directed by Ron Howard.
Les Miserables: This film version of the hit Broadway musical of Victor Hugo’s historical epic featured a sterling cast of musical veterans including Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, and Helena Bonham Carter. Russell Crowe, cast as Javert, the police inspector determined to bring Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) to justice, had almost no experience singing. Since the musical numbers were recorded live, Mr. Crowe had no opportunities for retakes or overdubs. Roundly criticized for his less-than-stellar singing voice, Crowe nonetheless threw himself into the role—and the vocals—wholeheartedly, creating a kind of raw unbridled passion that amplified Javert’s perverted obsession to bring Valjean to justice. While his singing may have been less than polished, his depiction of the obsessed inspector is riveting.
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfreid, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Eddy Redmayne. Screenplay by William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg, and Herbert Kretzmer. Directed by Tom Hooper.
L.A. Confidential: In this star-studded adaptation of the brutally gripping James Ellroy novel, Crowe plays Bud White, an old-school Los Angeles police detective given to old-fashioned police technique, particularly when it comes to handling criminals who abuse women. When Sergeant Exley (Guy Pearce) testifies against White’s partner, resulting in his dismissal, White vows revenge. Exley is called in on a gruesome mass murder at the Nite Owl Café and soon uncovers a far-reaching plot implicating elements of the LA police force, a porn king, and Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) a cop who moonlights as a TV technical advisor. Through a series of coincidences and missteps, including encounters with a prostitute named Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger), the two join forces to defeat their common enemy. As White, Crowe is at his macho tough guy best. He is manic and brutally ruthless as Bud the Cop, but loving, and even tender, as Bud the lover. This was Russell Crowe’s North American breakout performance.
Starring: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, Kevin Spacey, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, and Danny DeVito. Screenplay by Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson from the novel by James Ellroy. Directed by Curtis Hanson.
American Gangster: In this fictionalization of a real life 1960s crime story, Crowe plays Richie Roberts a cop and aspiring attorney who sets his sights on bringing down heroin kingpin Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) who has made his fortune smuggling heroin out of Vietnam with returning servicemen. When one of Roberts’ detectives witnesses one of Frank’s cousins and cohorts shoot his girlfriend, they force him to wear a wire to get the goods on Frank. Learning that the last shipment of heroin is coming in after the fall of Saigon, Roberts discovers the heroin is being smuggled in the coffins of dead servicemen. As a result of his investigation, a huge contingent of the DEA and NYCPD was implicated in the drug trade. As Roberts, Crowe brings his trademark intensity to the role of a man completely obsessed with bringing the wrath of the law down on Lucas.
Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Ted Levine, John Hawkes, and Clarence Williams III. Written by Steve Zaillian and directed by Ridley Scott.
3:10 to Yuma: In this remake of the 1957 western, embattled rancher and Civil War veteran Dan Evans (Christian Bale) witnesses the robbery of a stagecoach by Ben Wade (Crowe) and his gang. Shortly afterwards, Wade is apprehended by lawmen. Because of financial difficulties, Evans agrees to join the posse accompanying Wade to the train depot. Surprised by Wade’s gang, most of the posse is rubbed out, but Evans continues with his mission. He holes up in the town of Contention with Wade, where they are forced to evade the hostile townspeople as well as Wade’s gang, finally reaching the train station where Evans finally is able to complete his mission, but not before paying the ultimate price. This film was hailed as the best Western since Unforgiven. Crowe’s performance as Wade as a cynical and self-amused man, confident to the point of arrogance, yet still moral enough to recognize Evans’ determination, is a great performance.
Starring: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter Fonda, Ben Foster, Logan Lehman, Alan Tudyk, and Gretchen Mol. Written by Halstad Welles, Michael Brandt, and Derek Haas (from the novel by Elmore Leonard). Directed by James Mangold.
The Insider: This film is a scathing look at the botched 60 Minutes expose of tobacco industry and its complete abandonment of its whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand. When producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) realizes that Wigand (Crowe) may possess very damaging information against the tobacco industry, he encourages him—despite a non-disclosure agreement—to do an interview with Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer). Wigand does not agree, but his family is threatened, and he receives a death threat and harassing phone calls, events that eventually lead to his wife leaving him. Wigand grants the interview, but CBS, because of external pressure, refuses to air it, leaving Bergman and Wigand twisting in the wind before they reach an alternative solution. Crowe was widely praised for his performance of the eternally conflicted Wigand, a man whose conscience will not let him take the low road. He is a brooding coil of tension who cannot—for all his efforts—do the right thing.
Starring: Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer, Diane Venora, Lindsay Crouse, Debbi Mazar, and Philip Baker Hall. Written by Eric Roth and Michael Mann. Directed by Michael Mann.
Gladiator: This blockbuster action film elevated Crowe into superstar status. The historical epic of Maximus (Crowe), a Spanish general betrayed by the murderous Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the man who assassinated his emperor—and father—Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) in order to satiate his vile ambitions is exquisitely produced. After taking power, Commodus ills Maximus’ family and banishes him into slavery, where through a series of serendipitous circumstances, he becomes a gladiator and returns to Rome, where he plots to confront Commodus. While the story may stretch the boundaries of history—and believability—the film is exquisitely produced. Crowe dominates the screen as the brooding and powerful Maximus and the action scenes are jaw-droppingly gripping.
Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Richard Harris, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, and Tommy Flanagan. Written by William Nicholson, David Franzoni, and John Logan. Directed by Ridley Scott.
The Nice Guys: In this tongue-in-cheek buddy detective film, private eye Holland March (Ryan Gosling) is hired by porn star Misty Mountain’s (Murielle Tello) aunt to find her. Amelia (Margaret Qualley) a friend of Misty’s hires enforcer Jackson Healy (Crowe) to scare March away. When it turns out another group of thugs is out to find Amelia because she is working on a experimental pornographic film. Absurdities pile on as the two unlikely partners suffer through a series of mishaps on their to uncovering a conspiracy involving catalytic converters and porn. Not known for his comedic skills (although as Lucky Jack Aubrey in Master and Commander, he does a couple of hilarious turns), Crowe and Gosling do a terrific job in this great neo-noir comic romp.
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Margaret Qualley, Muriell Tello, Kim Basinger, Keith David Williams, and Lois Smith. Written by Shane Black and Anthony Bagrozzi. Directed by Shane Black.