1. Russell Crowe, Les Misérables
Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert is 2012s ultimate example of a thorn among the roses. This expansive ensemble floored me with their ability to communicate emotion through song. When Eponine cant take her pining any longer, Samantha Barks makes us all feel like were standing on the sidelines with her. When Marius takes in the carnage that he now regrets surviving, Eddie Redmayne helps us begin to grasp this ultimate survivors guilt. But when Javert comes into conflict with the code he has followed his whole life, Russell Crowe takes us to the first rehearsal of our high schools production of Les Misérables; that awkward night when you sing by-the-numbers just to make sure you have the notes right and havent even begun to think of what your character is going through at the moment. Crowe seems stuck behind the music throughout the entirety of the film, tentative to make like Javert and take the plunge into the depths of the material. His stiffness is less indicative of his characters rigidity and more of his inability to connect with the text. He comes alive in a few brief moments first, he nails the intimidation game of The Confrontation, and then chills with his provocation of Jean Valjean to just kill him already behind the barricade. But the rest of the time, his performance contains no peaks or valleys, and just brings the audience on a long, straight road that can only induce the question, are we there yet?
Ethan Young
Contributor
Ethan is a graduate of Emerson College with a degree in screenwriting. He enjoys all of life's entertainment pleasures, and is able to watch Breaking Bad and The Real Housewives of New Jersey in the same night without blinking an eye.
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