Russell Crowe: 10 Memorable Roles, Ranked From Most Villainous to Most Heroic

Russell Crowe proves his versatility with characters ranging from a heroic underdog in Gladiator to a vengeful man with road rage in 2020’s Unhinged.

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Russell Crowe is the kind of actor who is guaranteed to deliver an intense and captivating performance in just about every film he appears in. The Oscar winner has appeared in low-budget indies, huge blockbusters, and even some overlooked gems throughout his impressive career.

His most recent film is the thriller Unhinged, in which he plays a vengeful mad man. Looking at Crowe’s most famous roles, he is just as convincing as the hero as he is the villain, and seems to enjoy playing characters who are somewhere in the middle. Have a look at some of his memorable roles and where they land between heroes and villains.

10 Hando – Romper Stomper (1992)

Long before Crowe was a Hollywood star, he gained a lot of acclaim and notice for his performance in the gritty Australian drama Romper Stomper. Crowe plays a skinhead leader of a neo-Nazi group who seeks to “clean up” his neighborhood through violence.

Hando is a truly repulsive character and Crowe is terrifying in the role. He is a violent young man ruled by anger and ignorance. He doesn’t seem to give much thought to his racist hatred but rather uses it as an excuse to brutalize and kill others.

9 The Man – Unhinged (2020)

Unhinged is a B-movie thriller that is elevated by Crowe’s unsettling performance. He plays the unnamed villain of the film, a man who has deep beliefs in justice and retribution. When he has a brief and unpleasant road rage encounter with a woman while driving, he makes it his mission to ruin her life.

The relentless way in which this man hunts down the woman and those she loves is truly disturbing. What makes him more terrifying is that he feels that he is justified for doing these terrible things just because someone was rude to him.

8 Javert – Les Misérables (2012)

The Oscar-winning adaptation of the famed Broadway musical Les Misérables brought the epic story of justice to the big screen. Hugh Jackman plays a man released from prison who seeks to make a better life for himself. However, he is pursued by a determined lawman named Javert who wants to see him returned to prison.

Javert is of the belief that position gives him power over everyone else. He is a firm and unbending believer in the law which makes him blind to what is really right and wrong. Javert’s relentless pursuit of a man attempting to do good shows how flawed his worldview really is.

7 Ben Wade – 3:10 to Yuma (2007)

While Westerns are not as popular as they once were, there are the occasional modern gems in the genre. 3:10 to Yuma is a hugely entertaining film that stars Christian Bale as a rancher hired to transport a dangerous outlaw (Crowe) to a prison train.

Ben Wade is the kind of man who will charm you one moment and cut your throat the next. He is a criminal and a murderer, though he seems willing to spare innocent lives. However, Ben does have a hidden heroic side and shows a soft spot for Bale’s character.

6 Bud White – L.A. Confidential (1997)

Crowe’s big breakthrough in Hollywood was in the intense and star-studded crime drama L.A. Confidential. The film is a Chinatown-esque noir thriller focusing on three very different Los Angeles detectives all circling the same case.

Crowe plays Bud White, a dedicated yet violent detective who is willing to bend the rules to bring bad guys to justice. While Bud sees himself as the protector of the defenseless, he also abuses his power as a lawman by beating and killing suspects.

5 Jackson Healy – The Nice Guys (2016)

Shane Black excels at making darkly hilarious detective stories like The Nice Guys. Crowe plays a muscle-for-hire named Jackson Healy who partners up with a washed-up private eye (Ryan Gosling) to solve a missing person’s case.

Like several of Crowe’s other characters, Healy is someone who is comfortable resorting to violence as a first option. While he certainly doesn’t see himself as a good guy, part of him really wants to do something noble and strive to be a better person.

4 Jeffrey Wigand – The Insider (1999)

Crowe received his first Oscar-nomination for The Insider, a fascinating real-life drama from director Michael Mann. Crowe plays Jeffrey Wigand, a researcher at a tobacco company who breaks his confidentiality agreement to go on 60 Minutes and warn about the dangers Big Tobacco is hiding from the public.

Jeffrey is a flawed man whose home life is in shambles and who is prone to fits of anger. Yet he puts everything on the line in order to do what he thinks is right and expose the truth that could save lives.

3 Richie Roberts – American Gangster (2007)

In one of his many collaborations with director Ridley Scott, Crowe plays a dedicated police detective in this story of crime lord Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington). As Lucas gradually becomes the biggest gangster in Harlem thanks to his heroin business, Ritchie Roberts works tirelessly to bring him down.

While Ritchie is another man who fails as a husband and father, he is one of the few honest cops in the city. He not only avoids corruption in his mission to see Luca fall, but he also seeks to bring down the crooked cops that are part of the problem.

2 Jim Braddock – Cinderella Man (2005)

In another astonishing real-life tale, Cinderella Man tells the inspiring story of Jim Braddock. While once a successful boxing contender, Braddock fell on hard times during the Great Depression, like so many other Americans. Stepping back into the ring, he became a symbol of hope to the downtrodden.

Like many great boxing movies, Braddock is the ideal underdog to root for. Despite the nature of the sport, he is a peaceful man who is only looking for a way to provide for his family and he doesn’t let his pride get in the way.

1 Maximus – Gladiator (2000)

Even with all these knock-out performances, Maximus in Gladiator is likely still Crowe’s most popular role, and for good reason. Maximus is a brilliant and noble Roman general who is betrayed by those in power and his family is killed.

He is sold into slavery as a gladiator where he inspires others to fight together in a chance to win their freedom. Along the way, he helps to inspire others to fight back against the corrupt people in power. Though he seeks personal vengeance, Maximus ultimately realizes the fight is great than that and he becomes a hero to thousands.

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