An examination of fear and bigotry from multiple perspectives ensues.

Rating: 8/10 (6 May 2005)

An angry housewife and her successful District Attorney husband. A Persian store owner. Two police detectives (a black male and a Puerto Rican female) with a complex relationship. A black television director and his wife. A Mexican locksmith with a young daughter. Two car-jackers. A rookie cop. A jaded cop who's seen so much on the force that he's lost his way. A middle-aged Korean couple...
They're all part of the racial diversity that colors Los Angeles. They're all searching for answers, they're all moving forward, they're all coming together, they're all falling apart, and in the next 36 hours they will all collide.
JOHNNY'S TAKE
"You think you know who you are? You have no idea."
Those words, spoken by Matt Dillon to Ryan Phillippe, are probably the most poignant of the movie. Not only do some of the characters not know who they are, but the audience doesn't even know. Crash does an ingenious job of forcing the viewer to confront his own prejudices by presenting us with characters and causing us to develop our perception of them, but then as the layers are stripped away, we start to realize that perspective can change. We all have our prejudices whether we want to admit it or not, and one or two actions will immediately shape our opinion of these characters. But do those actions completely define the character?
Suspected reprehensible characters are slowly revealed to have a little more depth to them than we initially expect. Matt Dillon is painted as a bigoted, sexist cop. His early actions are indeed reprehensible, but we soon realize there's more to him than our first impression. The years have torn away at him as he's had to take care of his ailing father without being able to get adequate medical care. There's a reason he's turned so bitter, and when his humanity is put to the test, in one of the most powerful scenes in the movie, will he realize the hope that is within him? Nobody is beyond redemption.
Then there's Ludakris (who does a surprisingly good job) who wants to blame everything on racism. He's so blinded by hate that he blames poor service at a restaurant on racism despite the fact that his waitress was black. When his friend (Tate) points this out, Ludakris argues that she has been manufactured by white people to believe in the stereotype that black people don't tip. He's a street thug whose idea of nobility is stealing only from white people. His reasoning? Stealing from other black people is just a sign of cowardice towards whites. Of course, that so-called "nobility" is later put to the test. Is he beyond redemption? Or is there hope?
You'll also learn that nobody's halo shines too brightly. Just when you're starting to feel sorry for a character that appears to be a victim, you'll soon see they're just as capable of breaking the IL' Golden Rule as those who have wronged them. If you're going to accept the idea that nobody is beyond redemption, then you have to accept that nobody is beyond reproach either.
You think you know who you are? You have no idea. At least not until your character and humanity are put to the test. Holding onto a set of ideals and dreams is admirable, but actually living out those ideals and dreams is what defines you. True character is displayed through actions. And reactions. We're all searching for answers, we're all moving forward, we're all coming together, we're all falling apart, and our paths may one day collide. Whatever the circumstances may be, the way we act and react to that collison is what's important.
THE GIST
Crash is a strongly-written, strongly-acted, emotionally-gripping, thought-provoking movie that never gets as preachy as you may fear. I could add a few more hyphenated words, but I think you get the point. Some of the stereotypes are exaggerated for effect, but this is a movie that combines just the right amount of humor with some very tense drama to force us to take a close look at how we view others. Is it really fair to blame everything on racism? Sometimes we may unfairly assess a person's character based on his or her appearance, but is that borne of prejudice or is it just a matter of being overly cautious in a world where it's hard to trust those you don't know? Actions speak loudly, but so do our reactions.
This is probably a little too heavy for younger audiences and a little too dark for anybody who just wants to escape from the world for a couple of hours, but for those of you who want a bit of dramatic storytelling then Crash serves up one of this year's best.
Rating: 4.25 (out of 5)