neumu [ cinematronic ]




	A Beautiful Mind
	Ron Howard Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris 2001		For the first three-quarters of this calculatedly classy bio-pic, director Ron Howard takes a believable, extremely effective approach to the tragic circumstances of brilliant, but schizophrenic, mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr. The film artfully toys with viewers' perceptions to give an internal perspective on Nash's descent into madness during the Cold War era. Then, the old-age makeup kicks in and so does the sentiment. Still, the performance by Russell Crowe ("Gladiator") as Nash, the quirky, socially inept genius and professor, is as good as he's ever given. Jennifer Connelly ("Requiem for a Dream"), whose lithe beauty has often landed her in ingenue roles, does a admirable job playing the physics student who marries Nash and must decide whether to stand by him during his breakdown. And a snap-brimmed Ed Harris ("Pollock") brings his sharpest edge to bear as a mysterious agent who forces Nash to use his mental skills to break Russian code for the U.S. government.