Beginnings

For me, it started with 1995's "The Quick and the Dead." Just who was this guy playing a gunslinger-turned-preacher-turned-gunslinger again?

How many westerns have you seen? When the gunslinger draws, shoots down his opponent, and the gun's in it's holster again before you have time to blink, one of the lines is, invariably, "He's good!" That's how it was with Russell Crowe, the actor. I was amazed by his presence, his intensity, his ability to draw your eyes and hold them, mostly with his own eyes. About halfway through the movie, I was saying to myself, "He's good!"

Since then, I have watched each subsequent performance-L.A. Confidential, The Insider, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, American Gangster (just to name a few)-with the same awe. "He's good!" And, after all those performances, I find myself wondering something. Can Russell Crowe give a bad performance? I've begun to doubt it. There have been less-than-great Crowe movies, but his performances have never been less-than-great.

Then came the time when his personal life began to overshadow his professional life. Or, maybe I should say, when the media creation ate up the actor. Because, personally, that's how I see it. I won't comb through the details in this post. If you're a Russell Crowe fan or, if you've followed his career, you're acquainted with at least some of the incidents.

All of a sudden, it seemed to be open season on Russell Crowe. A few minor incidents that could have happened to anyone and, suddenly, everyone's taking potshots at the man. His name and his talent were dragged through the mud relentlessly.

Recently, things seemed to have calmed down somewhat, and with "American Gangster" and "3:10 To Yuma" this past year, the focus has been back on his acting, where it should be. And once again, you have to watch the screen and admit (even if you're not a fan) "He's good!"

So, why a blog about Russell Crowe? Well, as I said, I've been a fan since 1995. And I've seen a lot of overly harsh negative things said about him. To the point where I felt moved to point out more of the positives. And besides, "he's good!"

[tags]Russell Crowe, Crowe, 3:10 To Yuma, American Gangster, The Quick and the Dead, L.A. Confidential, The Insider, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, westerns, actors[/tags]