(Continued)

Among the many popular catchphrases uttered by Maximus in "Gladiator," the winner has to be either, "At my signal, unleash hell" or, "Are you not entertained?" Not too far behind is, "What we do in life echoes in eternity." Unlike "The Insider," which was a critical but not a box office success, "Gladiator" was an international financial smash. Crowe had officially arrived as a major player in the industry, with broad appeal to both men and women.

Backpedaling on that appeal, there's ... "Proof of Life." I bet we'd all like to forget that one, wouldn't we? The action drama came at the end of the nation's love affair with Meg Ryan, who apparently thought a grudgingly serious project with socio-political relevance might further her career. Not only did it prevent career expansion past her romantic comedy domain, it ruined her personal life. The torrid romance between Ryan and Crowe was highly publicized, leading to Ryan's eventual divorce from actor Dennis Quaid. "Proof of Life" became an afterthought to this tabloid scandal, a "Snakes on a Plane"-type phenomenon where everyone was talking about it, but no one was going to see it. Crowe escaped the fiasco relatively unscathed.

The following year he appeared in "A Beautiful Mind," again receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. That year, Crowe and Denzel Washington went head to head for the prize. Washington was previously nominated for boxing biopic "The Hurricane" in the same year Crowe received a nod for "The Insider." Many skeptics say Washington lost because the film fudged with history. A similar criticism was made of "A Beautiful Mind," which whitewashes Princeton mathematician John Nash's life for the sake of narrative simplicity. Washington was up for "Training Day," an acclaimed performance in a not-so-great movie.

The two were considered evenly matched, and their showdown was the question mark of the evening. In the end, Washington took home the statue. Thus, "American Gangster" is able to boast that it stars two Oscar winners. In an interesting twist, Washington plays the villain in "Gangster," while Crowe plays the good cop pursuing him. In their original joint venture, "Virtuosity," Crowe plays an evil serial killer and Washington is the hero.

After "A Beautiful Mind," Crowe's career trajectory took a downward curve. While 2003's "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" was a hit, 2005's "Cinderella Man" was a major box office disappointment. "A Good Year," which reunited Crowe with "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott, was laughed off screens by both critics and audiences last fall.

What's worse, Crowe's bad luck with the press was exacerbated in a series of well-documented incidents. In 2002 alone he assaulted a British TV producer for cutting his awards acceptance speech, participated in a New Zealand bar fight, and attacked his own bodyguard. In 2005, he famously threw a phone at a New York hotel concierge. Even his collaborators began to acknowledge how difficult Crowe was to work with on set. Lastly, Crowe's band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, broke up after more than a decade together.

Despite all the negative attention, Crowe's masculine looks and incredible acting ability have maintained his status as a prime player. Since marrying girlfriend Danielle Spencer in 2003, he is now a father of two. There's a public sense that he has settled down. Last year, he bought a Sydney rugby team with businessman Peter Holmes. Crowe's new trio of films is not so much a comeback as a reinvigoration of his artistry. A reminder of why the public liked him in the first place.

While "3:10 to Yuma" was not the hit many were hoping for or expecting it to be, the Western's powerhouse performances by both Crowe and co-star Christian Bale garnered many critical accolades. It could remain an awards contender with the right push from the studio. Early notices for "American Gangster" are also overwhelmingly positive, meaning that we have many more powerful performances from Russell Crowe coming our way in the future.

What's your favorite Russell Crowe performance? Let us know at heymsn@microsoft.com.

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In addition to making regular contributions to MSN Movies, Frank Paiva is a junior at New York University, where he studies theater and writing. His work has appeared in The New York Times, the Seattle Weekly, the Not for Tourists guide, 80108, and EDGE.