Russell Crowe has proven himself to be one of the more dynamic actors working in Hollywood today. Some argue that he is one of, if not, the greatest actor of all-time. With that in-mind (and the ever changing release date of Unhinged) let’s take a look at some of the great movies from the amazing career of Russell Crowe and rank them! let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
With the ever-evolving nature of the news industry, it’s always been fascinating to see how it’s portrayed in film. From dramas like All the President’s Men, Spotlight, and The Post to comedies like the two Anchorman films, we’ve seen how reporting has changed throughout the last few decades. A bright example of this is director Kevin Macdonald’s 2009 political thriller, State of Play, which is based on the British television series of the same name. The film tells the story of a journalist, Cal (Russell Crowe), who begins to investigate the strange death of a congressman’s (Ben Affleck) mistress. Crowe, Affleck, and the rest of the all-star cast, which includes Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright, and Jason Bateman, all provide terrific performances that invest you in the suspenseful narrative that’s not only an entertaining thriller, but an intriguing view of the vast transformations that the news industry has experienced within the first few years of the 21st century. One such example of this is having McAdams’s character be a blogger for the online edition of Cal’s newspaper and showing this journalistic format at work near its start in the profession. Between the film’s thrills and smarts, State of Play is a movie that will grab you as strongly as the biggest and boldest of headlines (Vincent Abbatecola)
Superman is probably still today’s world most famous superhero. So it’s no wonder that back when Zack Snyder decided to launch the DCEU that he would start there. One of the choices I really like with this adaptation is that it likes to take its time building up Clark Kent as a character before he wears the cape, and how he grows to become this beacon of hope. The grounded realism here helps us ask how people could question their beliefs if a presence that resembles a god-like figure showed up on earth. I think Superman is the perfect character to have in a movie that takes this approach to a superhero’s origin story, and it takes advantage of that angle for the best. There’s some people I know that ended up skipping this one before watching Dawn of Justice, so if you haven’t seen this then I highly recommend you get around to finally seeing Man of Steel. (Alex Henderson)
Salutations de l’autre côté de l’étang, alors que nous discutons de l’un des films les plus mémorables de la dernière décennie, Les Misérables (Greetings from across the pond, as we discuss one of the more memorable movies of the past decade, Les Misérables). Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) is a paroled prisoner who, after being forgiven by a priest for a crime, breaks his parole to start his life anew, where years later he comes across Fantine (Anne Hathaway), whose daughter Cosette (Isabelle Allen/Amanda Seyfried) he assumes guardianship of from the Thénardiers (Helena Bonam Carter/Sacha Baron Cohen), all the while avoiding Javert (Russell Crowe), former guard at Valjean’s prison and now police constable, and a man who will stop at nothing to bring Valjean back to jail for breaking parole. While Russell Crowe does bring this movie down a bit (unlike Hugh Jackman, whose singing is amazing, Crowe needs a bucket to carry a tune at times), I can’t imagine anyone else playing Javert, a man who struggles to come to terms that someone he considered nothing more than a common criminal at the height of the June Rebellion has become a good man who shows mercy to his adversary. This, coupled with a brilliant performance by Hugh Jackman and the rest of the cast coupled with beautiful music from start to finish, makes Les Misérables an amazing movie in my mind. It’s also a movie that, to me, tells you that your past does not define you as a person, and that you can control your own destiny, with memorable performances and scenes by nearly everyone in this film. (Joseph Davis)
Here’s a question…how many of you have seen the original 3:10 to Yuma? I am sure the answer to that question is not many of you have. Actually, how many of you have seen the remake? Well before James Mangold made a fantastic neo-western in the form of Logan, Mangold created an underappreciated western starring top notch actors Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Bale is a humble family man on the frontier who unfortunately gets tangled up with a gang led by the elusive outlaw, Ben Wade, played with incredible presence by Crowe. A man who never missed an opportunity to escape prison, Wade is an outlaw that Crowe brings fantastic charisma and a sense of intimidation to. The spotlight is nearly stolen by the criminally underrated Ben Foster. 3:10 to Yuma still thrives as an engaging and entertaining western due to the dynamic and oddball couple of Bale and Crowe. You want a hidden gem to check out this weekend? Here is your recommendation. (Shane Conto)
As a performer, Russell Crowe has become quite the chameleon in his various roles. Soon after his Academy Award winning performance in Gladiator, Crowe would take on a biographical role that would only sharpen his skills as an actor. In 2001, Russell Crowe would play the brilliant, but mentally tortured John Nash. John Nash was an acclaimed Mathematician that sadly suffered from extreme and crippling mental issues which included hallucinations. A Beautiful Mind would be the first collaboration between Crowe and seasoned director Ron Howard. Playing such a figure had to have been quite a task due to the complexity of the real life individual. John Nash himself would come on set and Crowe would draw inspiration for his performance. Despite not wanting to meet the real Nash due to it changing his interpretation of his performance, I believe that meeting him only enhanced what Crowe was able to bring to the table, even going as far as copying the same hand gestures and mannerisms to make the performance as authentic as possible. It is saddening throughout the film to see someone with so much talent losing grasp of reality. Russell Crowe and Ron Howard are very tasteful when displaying the effects of mental illness and psychosis. While not being an expert in these matters, I believe that no aspects in the film were sensationalized. Him taking his medication in the film is disheartening due to the fact that he can’t function at full capacity to accomplish his work. Later choosing to stop taking his medication to work at the highest level possible becomes an issue and Crowe conveys this downward spiral effectively. A Beautiful Mind demonstrates that the mind can be a sanctuary of wonderment, but can also be a prison when delving too deeply into one’s thoughts. (Joe Vargas)
Whether it’s Bad Boys, 21 Jump Street, Rush Hour, Beverly Hills Cop, or even Turner & Hooch, you’ve seen your fair share of buddy cop movies. However cliché it may sound, you haven’t seen anything like The Nice Guys. Within, director Shane Black takes every opportunity to subvert and reinvigorate the genre with loveable buffoons Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) and Holland March (Ryan Gosling) as they team up to solve the mysterious disappearance of a teenage girl (Margaret Qualley). What’s so fresh about Shane’s take is that he’s able to switch tone from serious to hilarious in a moment. One moment, a character can be drunk and the next, he pulls himself together to find actionable clues. I won’t go into too much to detail, as this is a film better experienced than explained. If you have Hulu or HBO, you can watch The Nice Guys with your subscription. (Austin Belzer)
Sometimes with these lists I like to cross off a movie on the mountain of shame that is films I have never seen, with this week bringing up Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, a movie where my only major knock against it is an unnecessary subtitle. Starring Russell Crowe as Captain “Lucky” Jack Aubrey and Paul Bettany as ships surgeon and Aubrey’s friend Stephen Maturin, this movie based on the books by Patrick O’Brian follows the crew of the HMS Surprise as she attempts to hunt down the French Privateer Archon at the height of the Napoleonic Wars. To stop the Archon, the crew of the Surprise must face off against not only the French, but also with conflicts against the weather, between the crew, and between friends who have different goals in mind. The biggest things that stick out to me, and that make me like this movie, have a lot to do with not only the screen chemistry that Crowe and Bettany have, along with how well both men fit into their respective roles as the naturalist doctor and the captain devoted to king and country, but also just how well they show life in the Royal Navy during the golden age of sail, from teenagers learning their way around a ship, to the Royal Marines assigned to help defend the ship. Despite having an absolutely massive cast, many of whom are given broad storylines, the movie rarely feels as if it is bogging down despite its two hour runtime, and every character seems to fit into place perfectly. Too bad this movie never got a sequel, as I would love to see more highly accurate yet entertaining period pieces like this one. (Joseph Davis)
Go back to Jersey, sonny. This is the City of the Angels, and you haven’t got any wings. As we begin to talk about L.A. Confidential, the first thing we have to talk about is the cast. Not only is this peak Russel Crowe (1997), but this movie also stars Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger (in an Oscar-winning role), Danny DeVito, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, and Kevin Spacey. Now, I know that last name can be complicated, but can you think of a bigger acting tour-de-force? Set in the 1950s in a corrupt LAPD department (and semi-noir), you have three distinctly different cops: the celebrity, the newbie prodigy, and the bad boy (Crowe). With a huge case involving sex, drugs, and corruption (the holy trio of noir cop movies), these three will work together against all odds to bring the truth to light. This movie currently holds the #124 spot on IMDb’s top 250 movies, but in my opinion that is still way too low. L.A. Confidential is a sure win in every category of filmmaking! (Aaron Schweitzer)
What is the film that began the dominance of Russell Crowe on the awards circuit? Crowe began this role as a perennial Best Actor nominee with his performance as Jeffrey Wigand, a man with the courage to go toe-to-toe with big tobacco. Still a relatively new star on the scene, Crowe matches the scene chewing performance of co-star Al Pacino as they carry the film, The Insider. Michael Mann continued his command of the 90’s with this story of the little man trying to do what’s right against a mighty industry. Based on the actual 60 Minutes segment, The Insider finds Crowe showing the fear and paranoia of a man with powerful enemies. He might not be an intimidating warrior or a professor with mental illness but Wigand gives Crowe plenty to work with. Let’s be honest, how much do you really need to give Russell Crowe to deliver a commanding performance? (Shane Conto)
Some movies resonate with us because of when we see it, what age we see it, who we see it with, etc. Some movies resonate because of critical acclaim, technological breakthroughs or the like. It is a rare gem of a movie that manages to do both, and for me, the best Russel Crowe has ever been is in Gladiator. Nominated for 11 Oscars, it won 5 of them, including Crowe’s second of three sequential Oscars for Best Actor (2000, 2001, 2002). Can I get a #hattrick??
Now, a movie is only as good as its weakest link, and there are plenty of Best Actor or Actress wins in movies with a weak supporting cast, crappy CGI, boring sets/locations, etc. You will be hard pressed to find anyone, or anything, failing to bring their A-game in Gladiator. Top notch supporting cast: check. Top notch production design: check. Thundering cinematic score: check. (quick side note: can we all agree on the fact that Hans Zimmer’s ONLY Oscar win, for the freaking The Lion King, is a crime??). As a cinephile, I honestly do not think the opening battle scene in the forest can be beat by anything before or since. And yes, that does include anything from the LOTR trilogy!
This write-up needed to focus on Crowe, but as a post-script, please remember that in 2000, Ridley Scott had only done a couple of significant movies after Blade Runner in 1982 (Thelma and Louis 1991, GI Jane 1997), and Joaquin Phoenix was virtually unthought of as leading man material. Consider what these two alone have done in the 20 years since then. If you go through the Gladiator cast and crew IMDB page, you will notice a marked uptick in quality of work pre- and post-Gladiator. This movie set the bar for epics, and I think the only reason it is not more widely remembered is because the following year TLOTR hit theaters like a tidal wave.
But I digress. Because the simple fact is that this movie is Russel Crowe’s #1, far and away. (Donald Skidmore)
Honorable Mentions:
Noah
I have to say, I think this is the most tame, cohesive film that has ever come out of Darren Aronofsky’s brain. When you think about the other’s in his repertoire, e.g. Requiem for a Dream, Mother!, and Black Swan, it’s strange to think that this bible story is the one that makes relative sense the whole time and doesn’t make you question your entire existence! In terms of quality, the movie is fine, just fine. The acting is sound, the story is one everyone knows, and the special effects are acceptable. After walking out of this movie, I remember not having any strong feelings for it, one way or another. However, considering how the aforementioned mother! received a lot of polarising reactions, I can imagine that the movie that Aronofsky wanted his preceding project to ease audiences into his ultimate vision. Could you say that Noah was in fact an entree designed to appease audience’s before Mother! almost literally burst on-screen? What I can say is that it certainly is a movie, it certainly tells the Ark story, and it certainly stars Russell Crowe! (Alice-Ginevra Micheli)
Mystery, Alaska
Well, trying to think of what to say about Mystery, Alaska I curiously looked back at Rotten Tomatoes. Looks like I’m shooting from behind the blue-line on this one. The film follows an amateur Alaskan hockey team as they vie for a spot in the NHL. They get their chance to play against the New York Rangers, and I remember it being pretty entertaining. The film isn’t entirely wrapped around hockey, rather the town and its inhabitants. Russell Crowe plays the sheriff of the town as well as the captain of the hockey team and you can see how much the community relies on him as a leader. While I haven’t seen it since the first time 20 years ago (and I was 10 at the time) there are some memorable funny moments both on and off the ice. It was also cool to see a hockey film where the final game was played on an outdoor hockey rink allowing the team to take advantage of the home field, something that doesn’t usually exist in hockey aside from fan morale. Mystery, Alaska is definitely an outlier on this list, but it also might be one that slipped past your radar, give it a shot, you know you got some time on your hands. (Evan Lucken)
Body of Lies
I’m not sure if I first saw it on cable or if it was the names DiCaprio and Crowe on top of the DVD case that initially caught my eye as I scanned the shelves of my hometown Blockbuster, looking for deals at their going out of business sale (sky point).
A modern-day espionage thriller set in the Middle East, DiCaprio plays a CIA agent on the ground in Jordan working to ferret out a terrorist threat with Crowe as his supervisor.
The cast overall is great, with DiCaprio as the protagonist, Mark Strong in a great supporting role, and, holy crap, is that Oscar Isaac?! But it’s Crowe that steals the show. Watching him discuss details of operations while lounging in his bathrobe and every condescending “Buddy” he utters makes you hate him even more. However, each cut back to him is a nice (somewhat comedic) relief from the overall tension of the film.
He’s a smarmy scumbag and truly the best part of an underrated thriller. (Jake Bourgeois)
Robin Hood
Robin Hood: Men in Tights may be one of Mel Brooks finest works. Starring Carey Elwes as title character Robin Hoo- huh? Check the script?
…….
Oh, Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe…….whoops.
Yeah, I’m gonna be honest, 2010’s Robin Hood is a vain attempt to tell the story of the Robin Hood legend, and easily on the lower end of my movie going experiences. Robin Longstride (Crowe) takes over the identity of Robert Loxley after escaping from the stockades to bring the body of Richard the Lionhearted back to England after the king dies in battle and when the knights tasked with returning his body are slaughtered. Upon arriving in Nottingham, where he continues to take the identity of Loxley, he must then work to stop a plot by an English knight and the French to invade England. While Russell Crowe does his best to bring his own style of acting to the title role, and the acting in this movie is done well, the tale of Robin Hood is not a tale that is best told with grit, but with a more merry tone (they are the band of merry men after all). Russell Crowe brings his best to the role, but the actor and the character are like oil and water: both have benefits on their own, but don’t mix well. Both have better versions apart from one another. If you stumble across this movie, and have time to burn, it’s an interesting watch, just don’t expect to be blown away. (Joseph Davis)
The Mummy
Misunderstanding Frank here and this week I am talking about The Mummy, the 2017 film Starring Tom Cruise as some dude with mummy issues and Russell Crowe as Henry Jekyll, written by a team of 6 different people to bring in a worldwide box office gross of $410 million launching the Dark Universe for Universal. Without this film it would not have been possible to have the shared Universe that The Mummy, The Invisible Man, Creature From The Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, Us and Them. Crowe delivered a great performance as Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde as head of S.H.I.E.L.D,….I mean Prodigium, a secret society dedicated to hunting down supernatural threats. Seriously though, I enjoyed this film and I think it’s not as bad as people think. Sure a 16 percent on Rotten Tomatoes pretty much scrapped Universal’s plan for a connected Horror-verse and it makes me sad. (Frank Kemp)
Also See: A Good Year, American Gangster, Boy Erased, Cinderella Man, No Way Back, Proof of Life, The Next Three Days, Virtuosity.