This is one of the most affecting, well-crafted, and all-around successful films that I have ever seen. And I've seen a lot of films. Russell Crowe (speaking of underrated...) completely dissolves into Forbes Nash, making us buy every twitch, every utterance, selling every eccentric line without a moment's hesitation. He's brilliant. Ron Howard's direction, disputed by some, enhanced the film immensely in my opinion. He shoots it entirely through the eyes of Forbes; what he sees, we see. It helps delve us into the same world that he's living in. The film also shows us what it's like to harbor a plot twist WITHOUT telling us that in a preview. To be honest, this film contains one of the most unexpected (and completely authentic) twists I have ever seen. Better yet, it's not heavy handed; there's no "trickery", and Howard doesn't spend the film trying to lead us astray. He simply throws it at us, packing a serious punch. (It's also worth noting that I didn't even know this film HAD a twist...It's not one of the incredibly hyped "you'll-never-believe-what-happens" sort of thing). Perhaps this "Twist" was not seen as so by some. The more sophisticated filmgoer may have figured it out immediately, playing the first portion of the film as they should, considering what is fact and what is fiction carefully (as I did upon a second viewing). Okay, enough about the twist: the film is also exciting, fascinating, and heart-wrenching. It's everything you want from a movie. See it, if you haven't. It's absolutely worth it.