Crash (2005)
The Cast
Sandra Bullock .... Jean Cabot
Don Cheadle .... Det. Graham Waters
Matt Dillon .... Sgt. Ryan
Jennifer Esposito .... Ria
William Fichtner .... Jake Flanagan
Brendan Fraser .... Dist. Atty. Richard 'Rick' Cabot
Terrence Dashon Howard .... Cameron
Ludacris .... Anthony
Thandie Newton .... Christine
Ryan Phillippe .... Officer Hanson
Larenz Tate .... Peter Waters
Keith David .... Lt. Dixon
Directed & written by Paul Haggis, Crash (this version of the title at least) is one of those flashback, huge ensemble cast movies that shows varying peoples of ethnic descent over two days in California interacting with one another. Well, if that were it, that would seem to be a pretty boring movie. But look at that fantastic cast up there! Revel in it's majesty! & Tony Danza's in it too (he gets to say "Who's the boss?")!
Seriously though, Crash is a somewhat eye-opening look at the way different cultures behave & their rationales behind their actions. & it's not just on the screen either. If you watch this movie in a theatre full of people, you'll hear laughter at some of the most racist things I've ever heard uttered onscreen. & it wasn't uneasy laughter either. This movie is not for anyone that doesn't have an open mind or is a knee-jerk reactionary.
At first I was ready to hate this movie, almost right after the first scene, when Cheadle's character utters the title of the film in the first five minutes. The movie recovered from that near MST3K-mock-worthy moment though. At times the movie felt like Magnolia, only far less shitty & pretentious. It's quite a feat to accomplish when you have such a huge ensemble cast, & are attempting to make your audience care about all the characters. This movie succeeds, & at times will have you a bit glassy-eyed. Unless you're dead inside, andythesaint.
The only qualm I have about Crash is that at times the race card is just simply overplayed. After watching an hour & a half of nearly every member of the cast having some sort of racial agenda, & having Fichtner's character introduced, you almost groan when he starts making inflammatory remarks. While the movie is making many statements, you don't want it to seem that everyone in the film is in some form or another, a racist. Although that may be another message right there, that we're so used to it, so ingrained in our lives, that when we're confronted with it head-on, it finally becomes intolerable.
There are some mighty fine performances in Crash, & for once, I didn't hate Ryan Phillipe. HUZZAH! I was surprised to learn that it's classified as a 2004 movie by IMDB.com, but with the quality of the acting, it makes sense. I'm sure the production company was fishing for Oscar nominations back in December with a limited release of some sort. Ludacris seemed to come across as a talented actor, so perhaps Sam Jackson should just shut up? Nahh, I take that back, Sam can slam all the rappers trying to get into the acting game. Best performances in the movie go to Cheadle, Thandie Newton & the fantastic Michael Pena. 4 outta 5.
Roger Ebert's review