Critique: A Beautiful Mind is a well-crafted, restrained, heartfelt and powerful drama. The cinematography by Roger Deakins is intimate, and the score by James Horner is affecting. Director Ron Howard makes his film balanced, and well paced. He crafts a powerful and genuine motion picture. The whole film feels painfully real, thus it is very involving. The acting is astonishing; Russell Crowe is emotional, honest, and believable, and Jennifer Connelly is angry, sympathetic, tough and eloquent. The supporting cast also performs well, led by Ed Harris, who is fascinating and haunting. Akiva Goldsman's screenplay is layered and complex, as well as touching and honest. All the elements of the film cohere to make a potent experience.
Rarely do major studios release such risky films. It seems that a story about mental health should have no appeal to mainstream audiences. Still, once viewers have been lured in by star Russell Crowe, not knowing what the film is about completely, they might be mature enough to enjoy the experience. If the mainstream audiences miss the boat on this one, it is their loss. Indeed, the risky quality of the film makes it a brave film, one of the rebellious films that shows what Hollywood can do if it deviates from normal expectations.
A Beautiful Mind is a beautiful achievement. It is an honest, genuine film, and it is extremely well acted. The screenplay is intelligent, containing thoughtful and natural dialogue. I highly recommend A Beautiful Mind, a rewarding experience.
review by supernothingman |
