A Beautiful Mind

Believe it or not, Ron Howard's latest film is a mild-mannered thriller. It's a thriller with an unlikely protagonist: a schizophrenic mathematician who does startling work in the field of number theory. Sounds fascinating doesn't it? Quite, surprisingly it turns out to be far better than one would expect. In fact, A Beautiful Mind is simply one of the best Hollywood films of the year, anchored by some fantastic performances by two of our most dependable actors, Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly.

Russell Crowe capably handles one of the more difficult roles of the year, an incredibly brilliant man who is often hindered by a psychological abnormality. He plays John Forbes Nash, a tortured soul who is able to extrapolate hidden messages within pages of magazines and newspapers. He litters his offices with them, sometimes packaging his findings and sending them to the government. What he initially thought was humanitarian work for the good of the people of the United States becomes a game of cat and mouse, and Nash thinks his life is often in immediate danger. Paranoia reigns, and Nash's psychosis deepens.

Helping Nash through his pain is Alicia, first a student then later his wife. Jennifer Connelly, from her first second of screen time, is nothing less than magnificent. Its easy to say hers is the best supporting performance of the year. Its possible that A Beautiful Mind may finally vault her into the mainstream where she belongs. She's easily one of the best actors working today, but very few have seen her before. Her combination of talent and beauty is a rarity and deserves to be recognized. As good as Russell Crowe is in this film, it's Connelly's Alicia that really demands to be recognized.

The film is brisk, and competently edited. The scenes where a "discovery" is made could have been silly, with numbers being illuminated and a look of know-how overcoming Crowe's face, but instead they're perfectly adaquate. Perhaps dumbed down a bit but then easily understood. Credit Ron Howard for managing a non-flashy production that, despite its historical innacuracies, is a great testament to the life of a genius. A Beautiful Mind is one of those gifts, a film that will be loved by many but appreciated by all.

On a scale of 1 to 10 scavenger Crowes : 8