Classic Revisited: A Beautiful Mind (2001)

The film chronicles the life and times of John Nash, a Nobel laureate in Economics. He is a brilliant mathematician but has troubles with the mind. He has schizophrenia and suffers from delusions - 3 in particular, an imaginary room mate Charles Herman and his niece Marcee and one William Parcher assumed to be working for the US Army in finding a nuke device.  

He is helped by his wife in overcoming all the trauma of medications and hospital treatment. He learns to ignore the delusions beyond a point of time. But, his journey to the Nobel prize takes him through the physical, metaphysical and delusional limits of human possibility. A fascinating true life story

Review

• Russell Crowe delivers one of the most complex roles with myriad emotions, with an ease of the pro that he is. Shame that he missed the Oscar for this. 
• Jenifer Connelly deservingly won the Oscar for her role of the supporting wife who goes through emotional hell. 
• Paul Bettany as Charles, a delusion is so emotive. It is a pity that he is unreal. The actors who come as Sol, Bender and Hanson also have small yet solid roles. 
• James Horner's musical pieces are mesmerizing and give goose bumps. The title track in particular. Another deserving Oscar.
• The prosthetic makeup as the lead pair and other characters age, is very authentic. 
• The screenplay is so gripping that it draws you in from the start. When John gets his delusions and starts messing it up, it is pretty sad and chaotic. That moment when we realize that the 3 characters are delusions, is scary

VERDICT

A psychological classic. All the elements of film making work magic.