There’s Something About Late-Career Russell Crowe

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Though the movie Nuremberg centers on psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) and lead prosecutor Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon), Hermann Göring – the most prominent Nazi on trial for war crimes – powerfully commands the screen. Russell Crowe’s performance is both larger-than-life and surprisingly nuanced. Göring is portrayed as a dangerously charismatic figure, a master of manipulation who effortlessly draws others in, making even his own psychiatrist feel understood.

Russell Crowe is delivering another fantastic performance, and he seems to have happily traded the pressure of being a leading man for more interesting supporting and villainous roles. Now, he frequently appears in genres often considered less prestigious, like horror, superhero films, and gritty action movies. And he doesn’t just accept these roles – he thrives in them. This recent career shift also involves Crowe embracing a more comfortable, even playful, image – he’s moved from the sculpted, intense actor to a robust character actor who clearly enjoys letting loose and having fun with his roles.

Twenty-five years ago, Russell Crowe’s life was very different. He was a major celebrity, his face everywhere, and the tabloids followed his personal life closely, reporting on everything from fights to his relationship with Meg Ryan. He started his career playing intense, often troubled characters in Australian and New Zealand films like Proof, Romper Stomper, and Spotswood. Then, he gained attention in Hollywood action movies – The Quick and the Dead and Virtuosity – where audiences started to really notice his talent. A strong supporting role in L.A. Confidential led to leading roles in critically acclaimed dramas, and he was even nominated for Best Actor three years in a row for The Insider, Gladiator (which he won), and A Beautiful Mind. He continued to star in popular films throughout the 2000s, including Cinderella Man, Master and Commander, American Gangster (again with Denzel Washington), and 3:10 to Yuma.

Around 2010, things began to change for Russell Crowe after two films – Paul Haggis’s The Next Three Days and Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood – failed to impress audiences or critics. He then took a year off before returning with two unexpected supporting roles. One was as Inspector Javert in the successful film adaptation of Les Misérables, notable for being filmed with live singing. Javert is a character who rigidly follows the law, believing obedience is the same as doing what’s right, and essentially lacks a personality of his own. While Crowe isn’t a strong singer, he embraced this weakness, and his struggles with the music actually enhanced his portrayal of Javert – highlighting the character’s inability to recognize his own flaws and the error of his ways.

Russell Crowe appeared as Jack Knife, an English adventurer and fighter, in RZA’s film The Man With the Iron Fists. Jack is a somewhat ruthless character – he politely tells an opponent he doesn’t want trouble right before attacking him. He starts as a loner but joins a team to stop Brass Body (played by Dave Bautista), a villain whose body can turn into metal. Crowe’s character isn’t the hero himself, but a friend and guide to the hero, and he seems to enjoy playing this more complex role than the traditionally heroic ones he’s known for.

Russell Crowe has consistently made interesting and unconventional choices in his roles, often avoiding prestige projects. He was brilliantly funny as Jackson Healy in The Nice Guys, a tough, wisecracking enforcer who prefers action to conversation. The film itself is a comedic take on classic film noir, imagining what Chinatown might have been like with Jack Lemmon and Billy Wilder at the helm. In 2020’s Unhinged, Crowe played a menacing driver obsessed with revenge after a minor road rage incident. He also appeared in two consecutive low-budget horror films. Most recently, in 2023’s The Pope’s Exorcist, Crowe used his physical presence for both comedic and dramatic effect, even creating a memorable visual gag by riding a tiny Lambretta scooter while dressed as a character from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He has a remarkable ability to control a scene and connect with the audience, making even ordinary lines of dialogue funny – like when his character, Father Amorth, taunts a demon into leaving a host by questioning its ability to possess a pig. And when the script is funny, Crowe elevates it further, as when he responds to a demon’s threat by saying his worst nightmare is France winning the World Cup, delivering the line with complete sincerity.

Russell Crowe quickly followed up his role in The Pope’s Exorcist with The Exorcism, a 2024 film where he plays a once-respected actor struggling with addiction. He gets a chance at redemption when a fellow actor, playing a priest in a horror movie about demonic possession, dies unexpectedly on set. That movie-within-a-movie, called The Georgetown Project, is clearly inspired by William Peter Blatty’s novel The Exorcist – a connection emphasized by the director, Joshua John Miller, whose father, Jason Miller, played a priest in the original Exorcist film. Crowe’s character, Anthony “Tom” Miller, must confront his past and his own personal struggles, including his addiction, the loss of his wife, and his strained relationship with his daughter. It’s a unique horror story, and also a powerful film about the impact of flawed parenting. The film is atmospheric and self-reflective, and Crowe delivers a subtle, realistic performance, portraying the threat of demonic possession as a metaphor for Tom’s fear of relapse and his inability to recapture his former success – and his secret desire to escape his failures.

Russell Crowe’s recent characters often explore similar ideas: they embody and criticize harmful aspects of traditional masculinity – things like valuing strength above all else, prioritizing power, and rejecting anything considered feminine. For example, in the 2019 series The Loudest Voice, Crowe played Roger Ailes, a very influential but deeply flawed man. Ailes started his career helping Richard Nixon rebuild his public image in the 1960s, then created Fox News, which presented biased and fear-based reporting as news. His career ultimately collapsed after accusations of sexual harassment became public. Crowe’s characters who deal with demonic forces would likely have fared better if they’d acknowledged their own weaknesses. However, they were raised to believe they could overcome evil through skill and determination, rather than by letting go of their pride and seeking something greater than themselves.

The film Prizefighter: The Life of Jem Belcher tells the story of boxing’s early days and the rise of Jem Belcher, the youngest boxing champion ever. Matt Hookings, who also wrote the screenplay, plays Jem. Russell Crowe delivers a powerful performance as Jack Slack, Jem’s grandfather, a tough bare-knuckle fighter whose own life was marred by drinking and fighting. Crowe portrays Jack as a broken man, driven by a cynical worldview – he believes no one cares about you, so you have to fight to survive. While Jack projects a tough exterior, Crowe subtly reveals a hint of regret in his eyes, suggesting Jack knows his beliefs are flawed. This portrayal of wounded pride and self-destructive behavior is a recurring theme in Crowe’s recent roles. Jack Slack shares similarities with Crowe’s character in Unhinged, another man consumed by feelings of being overlooked and resorting to violence. However, unlike the character in Unhinged, Jack possesses a degree of self-awareness, admitting, with a tremor in his voice, that he’s wasted his life despite years of hard work.

Russell Crowe’s portrayal of Hermann Göring is the result of years of exploring how authoritarian leaders rise to power. His film, Nuremberg, reveals that these regimes don’t win people over with convincing arguments, but by appealing to those who feel marginalized and powerless. Like Adolf Hitler, Göring exploited Germany’s national shame after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles, framing it as a loss of strength that demanded revenge and a thousand-year empire. Crowe’s performance highlights the false idea that Germany’s biggest problem was a lack of aggression. He seems to instinctively grasp that fascism stems from a fear of appearing weak or unmanly. His Göring is a dangerous man with a quick temper, but he also presents himself as a fun-loving, boisterous friend – the kind of man who always has your back, even when you’re in the wrong. This is similar to the charismatic, strong, and protective characters Crowe played in films like Gladiator, Master and Commander, and American Gangster – the kind of friend many men would want to have. This role continues Crowe’s exploration of stoic, honorable men, and how those very principles can ultimately lead to their downfall or the destruction around them.

For around twenty years, Russell Crowe has been working on improving himself, with varying degrees of success. He quietly donates to many charities, supporting causes ranging from international organizations fighting AIDS and homelessness to smaller groups like an Irish book club and a cancer research center in England. He generally avoids publicizing his generosity, once telling the Irish Examiner that the best way to help is to “put a cheque in the right place and shut up about it.” However, he did make an exception in 2018 with his Art of Divorce auction at Sotheby’s, which raised $3.7 million for charity by selling personal items, including his jockstrap from Gladiator. Crowe has also discussed his health journey, noting that he began prioritizing wellness after filming Nuremberg when he weighed 277 pounds. He adopted a healthier diet, began receiving injections for arthritis caused by old athletic injuries, and significantly cut back on his alcohol consumption, limiting himself to an occasional glass of wine. While he jokingly asserted his “right” to enjoy a drink as part of his working-class background, he admitted that he’s learned to be mindful of his physical limits as he’s gotten older.

Russell Crowe, who started as a teenage singer-songwriter under the name Russ Le Roq, once wrote a song about wanting to be like Marlon Brando – a desire that feels remarkably insightful now. He’s surpassed that initial ambition, evolving into an actor who, like Brando, not only acknowledges his flaws but actively seeks redemption through his work. While still captivating on screen, Crowe is increasingly becoming a subtle critic of the strong, traditional masculinity that initially made him famous. He often plays characters grappling with inner darkness – someone fearing possession in his exorcism films, or the interrogator in Nuremberg searching for hidden flaws in others. Even when the film isn’t directly about a villain like Göring, his presence looms large, reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter or a demonic force. The most impactful performances go beyond simply portraying a character; they reveal how that character is shaped by, and reflects, the culture around them. They become more than just people – they embody ideas.

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2025-12-11 19:56