After collecting Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actor, Gladiator Proved that director Ridley Scott and leading man Russell Crowe are a formidable partnership - and yet, despite this success, the pair's follow-up project is almost the polar opposite of the historical epic in every conceivable way. won critical acclaim and triumphed at the box office—in addition to receiving multiple awards— Gladiator Seemed to indicate a clear path forward for any future Scott/Crowe collaborations. This makes what happened in 2006 seem even more difficult to explain. For both Scott and Crowe, Gladiator A purple patch came in the middle. Crowe…