There was arguably no bigger male actor in the early noughties than Russell Crowe (or “Rusty” to those of us closer to home). His rugged good looks and voice as coarse as gravel making him a formidable presence in everything from political thrillers to biblical epics.
Once a magnet for the tabloids, now comfortably settling into his role as an elder statesman of the industry at age 60, Crowe’s career has taken many interesting detours over the last three decades or so, proving time and again he’s nothing if not varied.
But one thing that hasn’t changed across the acclaimed Kiwi’s vast body of work is his unwavering ability to stay true to his roots, while following his very own version of the movie star playbook.
Dive into some his catalogue collection with the Focus On: Russell Crowe week on SBS World Movies (weeknights January 13-17, see the for details) and the at SBS On Demand.
Romper Stomper (1992)
Romper Stomper airs 9.45pm Wednesday 15 January on SBS World Movies and will be streaming at SBS On Demand for 10 days after it airs.
Hammers over the Anvil (1993)
In an early sign of his considerable acting range, Crowe would quickly pivot away from the world of neo-Nazis and male angst in this sweeping romantic drama. Set in regional Victoria during the early 1900s and based on the book of the same name, Hammers over the Anvil finds Crowe in rugged swoon mode as a farmhand and horse breaker who becomes entangled in a steamy affair with a married woman played by Charlotte Rampling.
Hammers Over the Anvil is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Hammers Over the Anvil
drama • 1993
drama • 1993
The Sum of Us (1994)
On the cusp of his big break in Hollywood, Crowe would co-star in this touching two-hander alongside acting local legend Jack Thompson. Crowe and Thompson play a father and son looking for love in a film that felt ahead of the curve in the early nineties, with its LGBT characters and weighty themes of love and loss, in what was a banner year in Australian cinema for underdogs and misfits with the likes of Muriel’s Wedding and Priscilla Queen of the Desert also attracting widespread mainstream success.
The Sum of Us airs 9.30pm Tuesday 14 January on SBS World Movies and will be streaming at SBS On Demand for 30 days after it airs.
Heaven's Burning (1997)
The same year Crowe burned a hole through the cinema screen and the public consciousness in L.A. Confidential, he would return home to play a wheelman on the run in this blistering crime film that conjures memories of the Ozploitation movies of the 70s and 80s. Based around a Japanese bride who unwittingly becomes entangled in a deadly robbery gone wrong, this somewhat forgotten entry in the Crowe filmography features the kind of vehicular mayhem normally reserved for John Woo films, and the shocking ending will leave you speechless.
Heaven's Burning is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Heaven's Burning
action • 1997
action • 1997
Proof Of Life (2000)
Perhaps best remembered for the whirlwind of media attention that Crowe and co-star Meg Ryan attracted upon its initial release, Proof of Life remains a charisma fuelled thrill ride starring two Hollywood A-listers at the peak of their powers. Inspired by the real-life kidnapping of American Thomas Hargrove, the film finds Crowe playing an elite operative who is tasked by Ryan’s character to negotiate the release of her husband, who is taken hostage by South American rebels in this politically charged, tense thriller from Oscar nominated screenwriter Tony Gilroy.
Proof Of Life is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Proof of Life
thriller • 2000
thriller • 2000
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
‘A Beautiful Mind’. Credit: Universal Pictures
A Beautiful Mind airs 10pm Thursday 16 January on SBS World Movies and will be streaming at SBS On Demand for 30 days after it airs.
Body of Lies (2008)
Crowe’s hot streak of working with top notch-talent would continue well into the noughties, here teaming with director Ridley Scott for a fourth time and starring opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in this stylish espionage thriller set in a post-911 Middle East. Playing CIA chief Ed Hoffman, it’s another chameleonic performance from Crowe, as he takes what could have been a stock-standard government agent role and crafts something more memorable, often upstaging the more downbeat DiCaprio.
Body of Lies is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Body of Lies
action • drama • 2008
action • drama • 2008
Winter's Tale (2014)
Marking somewhat of a departure for Crowe, Winter’s Tale sees him switch gears to ‘supporting’ mode. Freed from carrying the dramatic weight of loftier roles which had defined much of his career, here he plays the adoptive father and part time demagogue to Colin Farrells Peter, in a fantasy/romance that also stars Keira Knightley as Farrell’s lover and Will Smith as Lucifer (yes, that Lucifer). It would mark a new phase in the heavyweight actor’s career, as he began to step back from the spotlight, and dare we say have a bit more fun as a result. Whether it be playing the hero, villain, or perhaps most fittingly for Crowe - that interesting grey area that exists in between.
Winter's Tale is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Winter's Tale
