The Top Five Russell Crowe Films of All Time on Texas Satellite TV

Russell Crowe’s movie persona seemed set in stone after L.A. Confidential: brutal and dedicated, with no shades of gray.  However, his brilliant career since them has proven that Crowe is a much deeper actor.  Here are his five best films, now playing on Texas satellite TV networks.

5. State of Play.  Crowe continued to demonstrate his versatility with his role as an old-school journalist in this political thriller set in Washington, D.C.  While he tries to uncover the facts surrounding a murder very close to an old buddy serving in Congress (Ben Affleck), Crowe has to grapple with editor Helen Mirren and the police, who want to know his information as soon as it comes in.  There is plenty of darkness in this film, which was based on a BBC series and is now playing on satellite TV On-Demand services.

4. American Gangster.  As Richie Roberts, a Newark cop whose personal life is a mess, Crowe is the man who tries to take down the biggest drug lord of them all, Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington).  Like the legendary Frank Serpico, Roberts has to deal with a mostly uncooperative police force, many of whom are on Lucas’ payroll.  Crowe is riveting, totally committed to the role — a messy character the audience always supports.  See this terrific Ridley Scott film on premium satellite TV networks like HBO.

3. Gladiator.  In many ways the prototypical Crowe movie, Gladiator is the kind of epic which transcends all care for historical accuracy.  It’s simply thrilling fiction, and Crowe is the hero we are looking to support: the underdog, loyal but punished, out for justice.  Joaquin Phoenix plays the cowardly Roman emperor who murders his father and tries to eliminate his rivals.  Crowe took home the Best Actor Oscar for his gripping portrayal, while the film won Best Picture honors.  

2. L.A. Confidential.  For many film fans, this movie supplied the introduction to Crowe and in many ways, it is a perfect role for him: a tough-minded, thuggish police officer who uses brutality as his preferred method of law enforcement.  When Crowe is not slugging co-star Guy Pearce, he’s trying to figure out Kim Basinger and calm his wild emotions.  The James Ellroy novel was translated beautifully to the screen by director Curtis Hanson and Kevin Spacey delivers one of his best performances as an amoral but amiable cop.  This film still packs a wallop on Texas satellite TV networks like Showtime.

1. The Insider.  While Crowe’s reputation was pretty much established by the late 1990s, his role in The Insider took him to the top of Hollywood.  Playing a prominent tobacco company employee who turned out to be the whistleblower, Crowe is wonderfully understated and convincing throughout.  Al Pacino plays the 60 Minutes producer who wanted to tell the story.  While Crowe may have won the Oscar for Gladiator, he does his best work here.  Check out this film uncut on the Independent Film Channel in high definition.