Russell Crowe is Hollywood royalty and down the years has started in over 50 feature films. The New Zealand born star has come a long way from his debut in the jaw-dropping Romper Stomper, through to his Oscar-winning Gladiator and his most recent release Unhinged.
Before he was famous Crowe managed a music venue, performed as a musician and even reportedly called bingo numbers – that was in the days of live bingo halls – these days, there are many reputable bingo sites to be found online without the need of any kind of caller. Over the years Crowe’s career has seen him star in Oscar-winning films, and he most recently starred in the thriller Unhinged (above), one of the last movies to be released in cinemas before the lockdown.
While some haven’t quite hit the mark, Crowe’s choices have been varied and he’s pretty much starred in every genre – even playing Robin Hood, Captain Jack Aubrey in Master and Commander (one of his best), and as Hando in his aforementioned breakout role, Romper Stomper back in 1992. Here are our five best Russell Crowe pictures…
Gladiator
Of course, we have to start with this Ridley Scott masterpiece. The epic that is Gladiator was released in 2000 and saw Russell Crowe win a host of awards for his leading role, including an Oscar for Best Actor.
The film also won Best Picture and it’s no wonder. The film itself follows Maximus Decimus who is betrayed by Commudus and seizes the throne. Crowe must then become a gladiator in order to gain revenge and return to his rightful place.
A Beautiful Mind
A hot streak for Crowe saw him star in A Beautiful Mind just a year later and was based upon the Pulitzer Prize nominated book of the same name.
Crowe stars as John Nash, and the story follows the life of Nash from his early years at Princeton right through to the 1994 Nobel Prize ceremony. The film tackles every aspect of Nash’s life, including his tough battle with paranoid schizophrenia and Crowe’s performance saw another Oscar nomination as well as a Best Picture win for the star.
The Nice Guys
Fast forwarding to 2016, we see Crowe star alongside Ryan Gosling in a fantastically fun action comedy, The Nice Guys. The film follows the pair as private detectives who join forces to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl.
The film was met with wide praise and has proved to be one of the best movies in the genre over the last decade.
3:10 To Yuma
3:10 To Yuma enjoyed a heavyweight cast of Crowe alongside Christian Bale and is one of the finest western movies of the last 20 years.
Released in 2007, the film is a remake of the 1957 movie and follows Bale, who is an impoverished ranch owner, devastated by a drought, taking Russell Crowe, a famous outlaw, to justice by getting him on the 3:10 To Yuma train. There’s gun-slinging aplenty and the development of the relationship between the two stars makes it a must-watch.
Cinderella Man
Crowe stars as a former Irish-American boxer who must return to the ring to provide for his family during the Great Depression.
Released in 2005, his portrayal of a former heavyweight champion is fantastic and his relationship with Rene Zellweger really takes love to another level. It was a critical success and continues to be one of Crowe’s most talked about movies to this day.
