How Ron Howard won an oscar for best direction is beyond me, as this has to be the worst-directed film I've ever seen. It was so flat I couldn't believe there actually was a director- it seems someone simply aimed a camera at Russel Crowe and then left. Every scene is blandness epitomised- it's an interesting story, and Russel Crowe is a good actor, but Ron Howard has made such a hash of this it's incredible. I honestly think I could have done a better job. Not a single scene stood out- it all gelled into one mass of mediocrity. Ron Howard is carving a niche for himself as the most robotic director on the planet. No doubt the studio bigwigs love him. Not a bad film, though; but I can think of about 10-15 that were better last year- even Ghosts of Mars was more exciting than this (seriously). Please, Ron, take a few risks next time!