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Crash (2005) Movie
Review: By Adam Mast, ZBoneMan.com
Crash is an exceptional piece of film making from writer Paul Haggis who just
last year garnered praise for his Million Dollar Baby screenplay. With this powerful
film he takes a stab at directing, and proves himself worthy in that arena as
well.
This
sprawling tale of race relations in Los Angeles brought to mind Grand Canyon,
21 Grams, and Traffic meshed with the narrative flow of the overrated Magnolia.
The end result is a brilliant, thought provoking expose on nearly every facet
of racism. What
can I say? I was floored by this film. It took me by absolute surprise, and it
brought up nearly every conceivable emotion you can think of. It made me laugh,
it made me cry, it made me sick, and it pissed me off, but mostly, it made me
think. And as bleak as Crash gets, it’s ultimately a very hopeful film. Crash
will be attacked in some circles and in fact, I’ve heard the film called
everything from pretentious to overly melodramatic to racist. These people obviously
saw a different film than the one I saw. Paul Haggis’ screenplay is tough
and thoughtful, and given that it’s taking a deep look at racial issues,
I don’t see how anyone could complain that the movie itself is racist. As
for being pretentious, I don’t see that either. The movie is slightly gimmicky
in the way that it interweaves it’s characters’ lives and story-lines,
but in many ways, the narrative also elevates the overall impact of the movie.
There are so many unpredictable moments in this unforgettable picture, that I
quickly lost count. From the opening sequence in which Ludacris and Larenz Tate
play two men who walk out of a restaurant where they feel they’ve been mistreated,
to an absolutely shocking accident in which a rattled Matt Dillon must re-evaluate
the way he’s looked at the world, Crash delivers one compelling incident
after the next. I
absolutely loved the way this picture unfolds. We are introduced to certain characters
throughout Crash who we don’t like that much, but in most cases, by the end
of the film, revelations are made that change these perceptions. Revelations that
open our eyes to what’s actually going on. In doing so, Haggis isn’t
asking us to forgive these people for some of the terrible acts they’ve committed,
but he does shed light as to why they might be acting the way they’re acting
and in most cases, the explanations are deeper than I expected them to be. I
was shocked on several occasions by the fates that awaited many of the various
characters throughout this provocative film, and really appreciated that Haggis
ties up all loose ends. Some of the stories end on a downer note, but rest assured
that the end of the film offers up a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
Of all the compelling stories taking place in Crash, the scenario that touched
me the most was the previously mentioned sequence involving Matt Dillon’s
character and an awful car crash. The
performances are all stellar, granted I did have a hard time buying into Brendan
Fraser as the D.A. of Los Angeles. It greatly helped that he only clocked in about
five minutes of screen time. And in his defense, they were a decent five minutes.
The standouts in this incredible ensemble cast are Matt Dillon as a racist cop
who’s put in an extremely awkward position and Don Cheadle as a by-the-book
police officer who’s forced to deal with racial issues in the highest levels
of power. Also
making a striking (and most surprising) appearance is Sandra Bullock, very convincing
as a racist woman who isn’t even aware that’s she is a racist. And to
think, I had just seen her stink up the screen in Miss Congeniality 2 less than
twenty four hours earlier. She’s very good here and makes the most of a small
but vital part. Also lending they’re considerable talent to the film are
Thandie Newton and Terrence Howard as a couple who are forced to deal with the
intense after effects of an awful incident following a routine traffic stop. Rounding
out the stellar cast are Ryan Phillippe (in the best performance of his so-so
career), William Fichtner, Keith David, Shaun Toub and Jennifer Esposito. Crash
is an important film. It’s important in the same way that movies like Spike
Lee’s Do the Right Thing are important. It’s brutal but fair, bleak
but hopeful and painfully honest in it’s complex look at how different individuals
perceive race relations. It’s an extremely relevant film, perhaps the best
of the year thus far (right alongside New York Doll). This is astonishing achievement
from writer/director Paul Haggis, and while it might be a little too much for
some to stomach, I was profoundly moved by it.
Grade:
A-
Adam Mast, ZBoneMan.com
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