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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The best Russell Crowe role is …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here are a few movies you could have seen Russell Crowe in — if he hadn’t turned them down: “X-Men” (as Wolverine), “Collateral” (opposite Jamie Foxx), “Black Hawk Down” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy (can you say Aragorn?).
On Friday, Crowe co-stars with Denzel Washington in the national debut of “American Gangster.” And Crowe does exactly what you expect, swaggering on screen and embodying a character who’s a kind of walking timebomb.
Here are my favorite Crowe performances:
1. “L.A. Confidential” (1997) — As the cop with the dynamite temper, he frequently explodes onscreen.
2. “Gladiator” (2000) — His Maximus won him his only Oscar and has become a film icon.
3. “The Insider” (1999) — As a whistleblower against Big Tobacco, Crowe takes a difficult — and decidedly quiet — role and delivers a master class in acting.
4. “The Quick and the Dead” (1995) — Sharon Stone delayed the making of this eye-opening Western so Crowe could be in it. Smart move.
5. “A Beautiful Mind” (2001) — The movie may seem a bit forced, but Crowe is steady and good throughout.
What are your favorite Russell Crowe movies? “Cinderella Man”? “3:10 to Yuma”? “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”?
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