A Beautiful Mind

(2001)
I know Im way late to the party on this one, and I dropped it in my Netflix queue with more than a little embarrassment that it had somehow slipped through the cracks on me. I didnt know much about it other than that it was highly regarded. Russell Crowe stars as John Nash, a mathematician who can see patterns in numbers and in nature. While Nash seems undirected at first even as his fellow math whizzes prosper, eventually Nash makes a breakthrough and is called to service at the Pentagon to help with cryptography. His asocial nature and lack of even rudimentary social skills cease to become an impediment as his brilliance emerges, and he falls in love with a student of his, Alicia (Jennifer Connelly). But Nashs world grows dim as his work delves deeper into Russian sleeper cells in the US (the story takes place predominantly in the Fifties), and he begins to crack under the strain of constant threat from his enemies. Theres just one catch; Johns government handler, Parcher (Ed Harris), and those trying to kill him, are all in his head. The movie keeps you guessing on that last point for a while, and the first half proceeds as an increasingly tense Cold War story; but it shifts tone dramatically in the second half, focusing on Johns struggle to cope with his schizophrenia and hallucinations, and instead of rooting for him to crack the Russian code, we end up hoping he can simply deal with the terrors his brilliant mind inflicts upon him. In some ways its almost like two movies, but thankfully both are extraordinarily well done. This movie was made in Crowes golden period, when he was establishing himself as a fine actor doing one terrific film after another, and this is probably his finest role. The confusion and terror he exhibits are palpable, but the real power of the performance comes later, during the subtler parts where John is simply trying to live a normal life. Crowe displays tremendous craft with the role, showing far more skill than he does much any more. It doesnt hurt that Connelly also likely gives her strongest performance; Alicia is troubled by her husbands descent into madness, and understandably afraid. But she also stands by him, and her quiet strength is as powerful in its own way as Johns humility. She matches Crowes strong performance, no easy task. Ed Harris as usual is also good, but his role is far less demanding than either of the two leads. I was pleasantly surprised by the skill and power of this film, with its deft handling of character. Ron Howard gets the most from his actors and tells a riveting story; the high reputation this film carries is justly deserved. I know most of you have probably seen this, but if, like me, somehow you missed out on it, you owe yourself a treat. This is damn fine moviemaking. April 7, 2013