Gladiator
Ridley ScottandRussell Croweare one of Hollywood ’s most notable director - player collaborators , but in addition to their universally praise masterpiece movies , they ’ve also made critically pan , instantly forgettable duds . After receiving some of the good reviews of their respective careers forGladiator , Scott and Crowe reunited and received some of their worst for the amatory comedyA Good Year . Their collaborations since then – the gritty crime biopicAmerican Gangster , the stylish spy thrillerBody of Lies , and the classical action - adventureRobin Hood – have been a mixed bag .
As proven by their initial partnership onGladiator , Scott and Crowe are a match made in heaven . Ever since achievingback - to - back achiever withAlienandBlade Runner , Scott has been one of the most acclaimed directors in Hollywood . Meanwhile , roles inL.A. ConfidentialandThe Insiderhad defined Crowe ’s gross combination of film - sensation personal magnetism and award - suitable act chops . The gravitas of Scott ’s filmmaking and the depth of Crowe ’s performances made them an ideal compeer creatively , even though the quality of their collaborations varies .
5A Good Year (2006)
Loosely base on the Peter Mayle novel of the same name , A Good Yearstars Crowe as a London investment broker who steady down into a new laidback life style when he inherits his uncle ’s vinery in France . There , he falls for a local woman who is rumored to have sworn off men . With a middling IMDb rating of 6.9 and an abysmal 26 % Rotten Tomatoes score , A Good Yearis a rare critical misfire for both player and director , and is widely considered Crowe andScott ’s worst movie ever . Just like Nora Ephron and Tom Hanks could n’t makeGladiator , Scott and Crowe could n’t make a experience - good quixotic clowning .
The conductor and virtuoso were deplorably mismatched with the schmaltzy fixed storage - com genre . Scott is screw for tackling dark , cynical stuff and Crowe is known for playing hover antihero . They both step outside their solace zona forA Good Yearand the gamble did n’t pay off . On top of that , the listless , uneventful story of the book did n’t translate too well into the more lively and energetic spiritualist of plastic film . see a carefree vinery owner get to conform to the high - fly globe of finance would be more exciting than watching an ex - financier chill out and wait for grapes to rise .
4Robin Hood (2010)
Scott and Crowe ’s most late movie , Robin Hood , is a mettlesome , action - packed takeon the story of the nominal Sagittarius and his band of merry man top an rebellion against the pennant to usurp King Richard the Lionheart . Crowe fiddle the eponymic folk bomber opposite Cate Blanchett as Maid Marion , Oscar Isaac as Prince John , and Matthew Macfadyen ( now best known as Tom fromSuccession ) as the Sheriff of Nottingham . This concept seemed promise on paper – Scott’sRobin Hoodmovie specify itself up as aBournemovie set in 12th - C England – but it does n’t achieve the full potential of that premise .
alas , Robin Hood ’s headliner - studded plaster cast is let down by a feeble playscript and a joyless shade . Movies that are drive by action at law like this one need to have fun with it . There are some masterfully crafted action sequences – Scott is a captain ofbuilding tension , as famously find inAlien ’s intro , and covering the geography of his placed pieces – but they ’re too deadening and drab to elicit real excitement from viewers . Both critics and consultation were underwhelmed byRobin Hood . It was a commercial disappointment and it scored 6.6 on IMDb and just 43 % on Rotten Tomatoes .
3Body Of Lies (2008)
With a mediocre Rotten Tomatoes score of 55 % and a tepid IMDb military rating of 7.0,Body of Liesis a formulaic geopolitical thriller saved by consecrate stars and well timed open matter . Body of Liesis the perfect espionage caper for the paranoid post-9/11 climate . Crowe stars alongsideLeonardo DiCaprio as a pair of CIA agentstrying to bring in down a notorious terrorist in the Middle East . The two actors give a dyad of attached public presentation in the jumper lead role , but Oscar - winningDepartedwriter William Monahan ’s script falls into the clichés and convening of the undercover agent genre , like betrayals , double - crosses , and bird’s - centre - view surveillance barb .
Scott had antecedently explored the tug - o’-war between civilization in his Crusades - fructify epicKingdom of Heaven , butBody of Liesbrought those themes into the modernistic age of war . The picture show suggests that conflict exist amongst each side of a war , not just between the two side . It revolves around two conflicting characters who are seemingly crusade on the same side : DiCaprio ’s Roger Ferris is a compassionate study agentive role aspect - to - aspect with the lives his government is affecting , while Crowe ’s Ed Hoffman is his more callous and cold - hearted ranking order strikes from the refuge of his home back in the United States .
2American Gangster (2007)
Scott’sbiopic of drug kingpin Frank Lucas , American Gangster , earned an impressive 81 % blessing score on Rotten Tomatoes and an admirable 7.8 evaluation on IMDb . This is Scott ’s enamor take on a wage increase - and - fall gangster saga likeGoodfellasorScarface . American Gangstercharts Lucas ’ ( Denzel Washington ) rise to king , from working as the correct - manus man to a Harlem crime syndicate boss to smuggling heroin into the United States aboard American table service planes on their elbow room back from Vietnam . Washington gives a typically fierce performance as Lucas , carrying himself with the threat ofTraining Day ’s crooked cop and the charisma ofDevil in a Blue Dress ’ hard - boiled gumshoe .
Crowe plays Richie Roberts , the Newark detective settle to bring down Lucas ’ empire . Eventhe serious crime biopicsdepict the law enforcement agents on the character entirely through their work , butAmerican Gangstertakes the meter to round out Richie ’s personal life with acerbic divorce proceeding , yield Crowe the chance for a three - dimensional performance . As Richie contract tight and confining to catching Lucas , American Gangsterbecomes an acute cat - and - shiner gambol . American Gangstertook some liberties with its historical truth ( via theNew York Post ) , but it ’s a gripping tale of crime and putridness .
1Gladiator (2000)
The first collaborationism between Scott and Crowe is still their effective movie by far . Gladiatoris the film that elevated Crowe to the A - tilt and gave him leading man condition . It was a hit with both critics and audiences ; it scored 79 % on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.5 on IMDb , and became the 2d highest - grossing pic of 2000.Gladiatorhas been universally praise for revitalize the long - dormant swords - and - sandal genre . Crowe stars as Maximus , a popish generalwho ’s give away by the Saturnia pavonia ’s son and forced into a liveliness of slavery as a prizefighter , where he come up through the ranks to retaliate the deaths of his family .
At the 73rd Academy Awards , Gladiatorwon Best Picture and Best Actor forRussell Crowe . Ridley Scottwas nominate for Best Director , but lost to Steven Soderbergh forTraffic . Gladiatoris an immersive cinematic spectacle that plunge audiences into Ancient Rome , but it ’s not just a treat for the eyes ; there ’s also a lot of thematic profoundness under all the blazing ocular elan . The narration of a warrior ’s narrow - minded pursuit to avenge his syndicate while being forced to kill as a sadistic spectator sport explores themes of retaliation , masculinity , and the spectacle of wildness .
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