Crowned with Oscar glory, Crowe is Hollywood's man of the moment. But is
he anything other than a solid, jobbing actor, elevated beyond his
talents by our hunger for stars? Imagine him in another era. He might've
made a good henchman to a really troubling villain, like Lee Marvin; a
worthy but distinctly second-rate opponent for Bogart to beat; the
sort of slow-witted, dull romantic lead Cary Grant revelled in dancing
rings around. Yet Crowe seems to take himself so seriously – and right
now, there's no stopping him. Go, Russ, go.
