Review: Crash (2004)

Crash is an emotional rollercoaster on racial intolerance that should be on everybody's Must See list. It's beautifully shot, well written and superbly played. Unlike Lucas' plastic toy, Crash will make you feel. Just when you think you've got it figured out & begin to feel some sympathy for one of the brilliant ensemble cast, the track turns & loops back on itself. It's shocking, sad, infuriating, tender and - surprisingly - funny at times, all the way to the last line of dialogue as the camera cranes up into the sky.

Writer/director Paul Haggis (who also wrote Million Dollar Baby), had a great ensemble to work with. Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe, Keith David, Tony Danza, and Loretta Devine are all recognisable, even if you don't know them by name. They - and others - play a housewife and her District Attorney husband, a store owner, two police detectives who're also lovers, a television director and his wife, a locksmith, a couple of car-jackers, a rookie cop and a middle-aged Korean couple who all live in LA and whose lives - in Short Cuts style - intersect in ways you wouldn't expect.

This film deserves an audience, but one broader than the small amount of cinema-goers who're willing to challenge themselves. It should be seen because it's unpleasant and confronting. The domestic reaction to the Corby decision makes it all the more timely.

Crash
Rated: MA 15+
Running Time: 113 min.

Official Site
Margaret & David's Thoughts
Metacritic round-up

[Tags: Film, Crash, Racism, Racial Intolerance]