A Beautiful Mind

This film is held up by Russel Crowe’s performance, without which it would be just a slightly above-par drama like countless others. A Beautiful Mind is certainly worth watching; thanks to the fairly interesting plot, those two hours and something go by quite fast, but I seriously doubt it will make enough of an impression on anyone to remember and admire it over time. To achieve that, it’s missing either a stronger ending (in this sense, I think the best moment is somewhere around the middle, when the viewer gets to know you know what, while the last half hour sort of fades away), or a more distinctive direction – Ron Howard is a good craftsman, but nothing more than that. 7/10 (09/09/2008)

A riveting film in the truest sense of the word. Riveting not only in its action (the car chase, the chase on the university campus), but especially in the portrayal itself – the scene where Adam Smith is doubted and revised is absolutely perfect and shows Ron Howard's creative potential at its best (even though I had some doubts about him up to this point). Russell Crowe's performance is a separate chapter of this film. His character perfectly presents a "state of mind" that is pure genius, but at the same time terribly dangerous. As in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, for example, the viewer watches a large part of the main character's life and experiences his complex transformation onscreen (although in this case, of course, the transformation is very specific). The episodic nature of the whole film is also well handled, each individual "episode" of the main character's life perfectly maps one or another part of his life and together creates a fantastic, emotionally charged work. And yes, jam-packed would be an understatement in this case :)) (12/28/2011)

What would A Beautiful Mind be without the phenomenal Russel Crowe? I guess that's like asking what Rain Man would look like without Dustin Hoffman or Silence of the Lambs without Anthony Hopkins... But I think that in this Hollywood amateurish biopic Crowe's performance is so crucial that without it the whole film and its smart screenplay wouldn’t be even half as good. A Beautiful Mind is a sophisticated and effective but very unpretentious film equation without any unknowns or variables, where professor Howard patiently explains in his two-hour lesson how you can skilfully achieve a remarkable result without having to think or give vent to even the most intimate emotions... And needless to say, most people will calculate to the value of RC - Russell Crowe. :) Maybe to the power of two. 85% (10/07/2011)

When the movement of the mind combines with amazing drama, I am moved, smiling, and feel a sense of perfect complexity. Although the duration flying over two hours slightly blurs the final impressions, Clean Soul has become surprisingly timeless matter which returns forever alive and pulsating when listening to Horner's soundtrack. (01/14/2006)

One could write many superlatives about A Beautiful Mind. It is a very professional film backed by a precise script, well cast and acted, and the direction is inventive and highly professional. The story is emotional and certainly unconventional - to have a mentally ill mathematician as the main character requires some production courage, as similar films do not automatically guarantee easy profits. On the other hand, the professional production approach is a weakness of the film. The lead role was played by a star - the great and handsome Russell Crowe, and, of course, the beautiful and charismatic Jennifer Connelly had to fall in love with him... The film literally overflows with heartfelt dialogues and boundless humanism. But in real life, everything is harder, harsher, and much sadder. I had a mentally ill family member, so I know what I'm talking about. The calculated nature of this blockbuster with its premeditated Oscar success bothered me a bit in this case. I simply cannot give five stars to this very high-quality product, it is too "polished" for that. On the other hand, there are several scenes worth mentioning: the opening play with the reflection of light on the tie is full of humor and the majority of the film unfolds in a similar spirit. Crowe approached his character a bit like the autist from Rain Man, and I'm not sure if that is appropriate for schizophrenia. But with an army of advisors, they probably couldn't have got it wrong... Overall impression 80%. (01/17/2008)