Maybe Russell Crowe is going to be punished by Hollywood again, but he's one of the greatest actors out there with his stunning performances. "A Beautiful Mind" is another example of a mesmerizing performance.
Yes, I completely agree...he's just about, if not is, my most favored/revered actor. Almost anything he does, I'm fascinated.
My favorites of his are, of course, GLADIATOR and second to that, both LA CONFIDENTIAL and MASTER AND COMMANDER, The Far Side of the World.
I also really liked PROOF OF LIFE, despite the naysaying as to that film, and A BEAUTIFUL MIND, and have all his films on DVD. Even ROMPER STOMPER, which is probably his first, truly awesome performance.
I'll see anything he does. I read that he's keen to star as Liberace in a filmed rendition of Liberace's life, which should be incredibly interesting to view, if he does that. What he's supposed to be working on next, however, is what he describes as "an Australian 'Gone With the Wind'" with Nicole Kidman also to star.
Certainly an incredibly talented man, no doubt about it.
I have no idea why and how CINDERELLA MAN was overlooked this year. I agree that it's a bit more of the "Hollywood retaliation" mess that happens. He's just not Hollywood material, but far above that, in the same realm to my view as Mel Gibson, just entirely not Hollywood at all, but truly artists on screen in how they select their material and develope it, even before they perform.