Image credit: Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., Academy Entertainment, Lions Gate Films, Walt Disney Studios, Duo Art Productions
Forget "Gladiator": Russell Crowe has been in a lot of underrated movies that didn't get the limelight they deserve.
From rom-coms to thrillers, political drama to crime — he's done it all, and spectacularly at that.
1. A Good Year (2006) Box office: $42.1 million A wine vineyard in France sounds like a dream, right? Well, not for Max Skinner (Russell Crowe), a London-based investment banker. Max inherits his late uncle's vineyard and plans to sell it asap.
After arriving, he has a series of misadventures — crashing a car and taking a dive into an empty swimming pool, to name a few. He meets Fanny, a local café owner, and sparks fly, though not without friction. Then comes Christie, claiming to be his uncle's illegitimate daughter and a rightful heir to the estate.
2. State of Play (2009) Box office: $88.8 million Russell Crowe plays Cal McAffrey, an old-school investigative journalist. When a congressman's mistress is murdered, Cal dives into the case. His investigation leads him through a maze of political intrigue, private defense contractors, and even his own newsroom.
But, plot twist: the congressman is his college roommate and best friend. Torn between loyalty and truth, Cal publishes the damning evidence – not without consequences of course.
3. Body of Lies (2008) Box office: $115.9 million Here's one where Crowe teams up with Leo DiCaprio. Crowe is Ed Hoffman, a cunning CIA boss, and DiCaprio is Roger Ferris, the field agent. They're tracking a terrorist leader in Jordan. Hoffman's armchair orders from the States wreak havoc on Ferris's on-ground operations. Local intelligence wants a piece of the action, and Ferris falls for a local nurse.
4. The Next Three Days (2010) Box office: $67.4 million Imagine your spouse being arrested for murder. That's the reality for John Brennan (Crowe) when his wife Lara (Elizabeth Banks) is jailed for a crime she didn't commit. With legal options running out, John devises a daring escape plan. He researches prison layouts, surveillance blind spots, and even how to pick locks.
His plan goes awry multiple times, but ultimately, he busts Lara out, engaging in a car chase and dodging police roadblocks.
5. Broken City (2013) Box office: $34.7 million A gritty, modern-day noir, this film stars Crowe as corrupt New York Mayor Hostetler. Billy Taggart (Mark Wahlberg) is a private investigator hired by the mayor to tail his wife, Cathleen (Catherine Zeta-Jones), whom he suspects is having an affair.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Taggart finds himself entangled in a web of political scandal, including a controversial real estate deal that could displace thousands. Betrayed and used, Taggart takes matters into his own hands.
6. The Water Diviner (2014) Box office: $35.3 million Russell Crowe doesn't just star in this one; he also directs it. Taking place just after WWI, Crowe plays Joshua Connor, an Australian farmer who can find water underground. After his wife's suicide, which follows the death of their three sons in battle, Joshua goes to Turkey to find their remains. He befriends a Turkish officer and even helps his hotel owner's beautiful widow fend off a gang.
7. Mystery, Alaska (1999) Box office: $8.9 million Crowe plays John Biebe, a member of an amateur hockey team in the tiny town of Mystery, Alaska. When a Sports Illustrated article catches the eye of the NHL, they challenge the local team to an exhibition game.
Drama brews off the ice — unfaithful wives, teenage hormones, you name it. But when game day arrives, John scores the decisive goal, sealing the town's dignity, if not the win.
8. 3:10 to Yuma (2007) Box office: $70.2 million Crowe is Ben Wade, a notorious outlaw captured by rancher Dan Evans (Christian Bale). The catch? Evans has to transport Wade to a train bound for Yuma prison. They navigate treacherous terrains and battle Wade's gang, all the while forming an unlikely bond. With the clock ticking and bullets flying, they finally make it to the station. Evans is killed but not before ensuring Wade is on the 3:10 to Yuma.
9. Heaven's Burning (1997) Box office: $55,780 An early Crowe film that many might've missed. He plays Colin, a getaway driver in a bank robbery that goes awry. Midori, a Japanese bride, gets caught up in the chaos and joins him in a cross-country chase. The duo encounters a variety of Australian outback oddities while forging a connection.
10. Romper Stomper (1992) Box office: $3 million Going way back to Crowe's roots, he plays Hando, the leader of a neo-Nazi gang in Melbourne. Their life of violent racism takes a turn when a young woman named Gabe enters the scene. Internal fractures grow, and their world comes crashing down in a police siege. Hando is ultimately killed by Gabe and her new lover, Davey, one of the gang members.
