At first glance, "A Beautiful Mind" seems to be a melodramatic fairy tale, highlighted by cliches that seem to fire rapidly. The more you dig, however, the more you will find because "A Beautiful Mind" is not just a great movie, but it is a great human study of what life can do to one brilliant man.

Russell Crowe plays the genius math professor John Nash. He was a code cracker for the government and became entangled in something that was hard for himself to get out of. He marries one of his students his age (Jennifer Connely) and does not tell her anything of what has happened. As the time goes on, something dramatic happens to John's life; we learn of a disorder he has carried around with him.

Ron Howard has directed a wonderful tale that at first site (especially from the trailer) looks to be a political thriller turns out to be a heartfelt drama. Russell Crowe turns in the best performance I have seen him do so far in his career (even better than his second best 1999's "The Insider"). He plays his character very believable and we instantly know who John Nash is with Russell's performance. Supporting actors/actresses include Jennifer Connelly in a fantastic role that might earn her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in this years Oscar race. She has been one of my favorite actresses and does what she does best in this movie. Ed Harris plays the man whom John Nash believes is helping him with that Ed Harris edge. He graces the screen with his face and does a fantastic job at doing it.

In the end, "A Beautiful Mind" slips into a more sappy clichéd ending, but never loses its momentum to amaze the audience at how smart and intelligent all the characters are. When the viewer leaves the theater, they are left heartstruck and cheering.