Amazon.com: Movie studios, by and large, avoid controversial subjects like race the way you might avoid a hive of angry bees. So it's remarkable that Crash even got made; that it's a rich, intelligent, and moving exploration of the interlocking lives of a dozen Los Angeles residents--black, white, latino, Asian, and Persian--is downright amazing. A politically nervous district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his high-strung wife (Sandra Bullock, biting into a welcome change of pace from Miss Congeniality) get car-jacked by an oddly sociological pair of young black men (Larenz Tate and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges); a rich black T.V. director (Terrence Howard) and his wife (Thandie Newton) get pulled over by a white racist cop (Matt Dillon) and his reluctant partner (Ryan Phillipe); a detective (Don Cheadle) and his Latina partner and lover (Jennifer Esposito) investigate a white cop who shot a black cop--these are only three of the interlocking stories that reach up and down class lines. Writer/director Paul Haggis (who wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby) spins every character in unpredictable directions, refusing to let anyone sink into a stereotype. The cast--ranging from the famous names above to lesser-known but just as capable actors like Michael Pena (Buffalo Soldiers) and Loretta Devine (Woman Thou Art Loosed)--meets the strong script head-on, delivering galvanizing performances in short vignettes, brief glimpses that build with gut-wrenching force. This sort of multi-character mosaic is hard to pull off; Crash rivals such classics as Nashville and Short Cuts. A knockout. --Bret Fetzer
Stills from Crash
Product Description: This compelling urban thriller tracks the volatile intersection of a multiethnic cast of characters struggling to overcome their fears as they careen in and out of one another's lives. In the gray area between black and white victim and aggressor during the next 36 hours the will all collide.System Requirements: Running Time 122 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: R UPC: 031398179382 Manufacturer No: 17938
What We Perceive It's a real case of beginner's luck for first-time director Paul Haggis. Having already scored an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (Million Dollar Baby), Haggis takes the director's chair for this project and scores a big hit, one which won him Best Picture of 2005. With an all-star cast, a haunting score by Mark Isham and a thought-provoking screenplay, "Crash" is a bold tapestry of humankind at their best and worst and the circumstances that eventually connect them all are a wonder to behold.
All events within the film take place in a mere 24 hours (what a difference a day makes, eh?) with five different stories set in the melting pot of melting pots: Los Angeles, CA. The film opens and ends with a fender bender (hence the title) and the delicate issue of bigotry is dealt with a mighty blow here, a series of life-altering events affecting and eventually connecting all of the following people:
1) a black detective (Cheadle) and his Latino partner (Esposito) 2) two young black felons (Ludacris, Tate) 3) a white district attorney (Fraser) and his wife (Bullock) 4) a Persian shop owner (Toub) and his family 5) a Latino locksmith (Pena) 6) two white LA police officers (Dillon, Philippe) 7) an affluent black television producer (Howard) and his wife (Newton)
How are all these people connected, you ask? Well, if you've ever seen "Traffic", you'll get an idea of how each character manages to intersect the other in an odd "six degrees of separation". There are four different stories happening all at once that will culminate at the end. This is one of the many intriguing ways in which Haggis ties everything together into a coarse and pragmatic patchwork of life in these biased United States.
Crash's biggest accomplishment comes from the manner in which it realigns its characters' perceptions by imposing life-altering situations upon them, incidents which change them for either the better or the worse. While watching the characters' reactions to their environment, the audience is often forced to examine some of their own perceptions and "Crash" reveals time and again the bitter truth behind the majority of America's skewed philosophy.
Don Cheadle is excellent as Graham, a man who struggles constantly with the meager symmetry of justice. Matt Dillon is intriguing as Officer Ryan, a cop whose motives can be hard to determine but whom experience has given an inarguable wisdom. Bullock manages to play a character that's easy to hate, a pampered suburban wife who doesn't realize who her true friends are until she's literally crying out for help, one whom she least expects. Terrence Howard is remarkable as a television producer whose educated wife (Newton) harangues him about life's everyday prejudices after they are pulled over in a routine traffic stop in a wealthy neighborhood by two white cops. He is frustrated and angry with her but when he begins to see the fine lines of racism suddenly and heavily bleed into his life, he at first denies it, then proceeds into self-loathing and hatred. He eventually forgives his wife and comes to terms with various other people for their misgivings. Ryan Philippe impresses as the morally compromised Officer Hanson - there is a shocking moment in which he is truly tested on his obligations as an officer of the law and in that moment becomes the most hypocritical character of, despite having made perfectly clear his moral dilemma in the beginning. Most everyone else walks on and walks off but there isn't a bad performance to be had here (not even from hip-hop star Ludacris) and this ensemble cast makes the most of everything they've got.
Bottom line: There should be no argument as to what film has made the most impact in 2005 - one viewing of "Crash" will have you voting in its favor, hands down.
So real to life... This is one of the most realistic movies I have seen in a long time. The whole storyline of the characters all collide over twenty-four hours because of racism & stereotypes.
I had to watch this movie for a final in one of my college classes. I don't consider myself a racist person at all, but after watching this movie I think it is hard to believe you have never had thoughts like some of the characters in the movie.
If you haven't seen this movie, see it!!! It will def. give you a new perspective on a lot of things & really open your eyes to what life is really like!!
Minus ten stars for the blatant stereotypes. Brokeback got robbed and everyone knows it. SHAME ON HOLLYWEIRD!!! All the white people are evil racists and all the black people are homicidal. Yeah, ok. Barely any Asian presence in the film. UUGH!!! Racism is a problem that affects every race, gender, etc... It's not just a "white" problem. Homicidal car jacking criminals aren't just a "black" problem. Funny thing is, I'm white, most of my neighbors are black. And NONE of us act like this. NONE of us liked this movie. It was made with the usual "white guilt" nonsense we've come to expect from Hollyweird. Hispanics aren't shown in any better light than any other groups. The film in and of itself is racist. Did I say it already? BROKEBACK GOT ROBBED!!!!!!!!!!!
Deals skilfully with very uncomfortable issues. Powerful drama telling the interlocking stories of several characters in Los Angeles, highlighting issues of prejudice, racism and racial tension. Very well put together with stand-out performances from many actors and actresses including Thandie Newton, Sandra Bullock, Ryan Phillipe, Matt Dillon and the rapper Ludacris. Equally shocking and thought provoking, this was a film I couldn't really fault, which dealt skilfully with very uncomfortable issues. Recommended.
A very moving film First I'd like to quote another reviewer who said, "...there are so many coincidences of characters running into each other at key moments in the story is just wasn't believable." I'm not sure how it is not believable that the characters in a movie crossed paths. It's not coincidence... it is a story which focuses on a number of characters who cross paths... that's kind of the point. I'm not sure why so many people rated the film so low; even if you don't completely love it, it in no way deserves a 1-star rating. Anyway, the movie displays a lot of stereotypes which in this situation I think is perfect to illustrate the main theme of racism. Racism stems from stereotypes so to say that this movie was wrong for using stereotypes would be to say that the movie was wrong to bring the subject of racism to the public eye. I think this is just one of those movies that has become popular to hate, although there's really no reason to hate it other than the fact that it was so successful.
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