Russell Crowe to Direct Crime Drama?

Russell Crowe to Direct Crime Drama?

Movie News

By our guest blogger, Joe Oliveto

When actors decide to step behind the camera, one never knows what to expect. While Robert De Niro, one of our esteemed Greatest Living Actors, has had only moderate success in the director’s chair, Ben Affleck, former punchline to endless jokes, has shown himself to be an extraordinary talented filmmaker.

There’s really no point trying to find a formula which will determine who can succeed as a director and who should stick to their day job; it all seems pretty random.

So, with Deadline reporting that Russell Crowe is looking to make his directorial debut with “77,” a crime drama set in the 1970s, we’re not really sure what to expect. We already know that Crowe has what it takes to electrify an audience as an actor, but will those skills cross over when he takes on the directing gig?

Right now, no one can honestly answer such a question. However, as far as source material goes, if Crowe does end up taking on “77,” he’ll be working with what sounds like an interesting story. The script links the murder of an LAPD officer in 1974 with the shootout between the LAPD and the Symbionese Liberation Army. Bridging the gap between the two events will be two fictional characters, a pair of cops, one of whom would be portrayed by Crowe. Based on an original script by James Ellroy, who also penned “L.A. Confidential,” which Crowe starred in, this sounds like the kind of crime drama that Hollywood does so well.

We’re not certain that Crowe will be a competent director, but all things considered, this sounds promising.