A powerful look into the world of racism

Rating: Null/10 (3 February 2010)

I saw Crash around two years ago, and I liked it, but never got the hype. I rewatched it, and got this film into a deeper level. It is a film that manipulates the audience with music and over-dramatic scenes, but isn't that the way this world is? I have dealt with a lot of issues regarding racism, since I do live in Los Angeles. The mixture of all these different races does cause tension, and the way the film portrayed it was incredibly realistic. At first glance, it really seems like a melodramatic, overblown film, but it was ultimately very powerful, especially in particular scenes. The film does have flaws, but it also makes a lot of points about race stereotypes and it has some very complicated and flawed characters. The cast is great, although there are a few weak spots. The standouts had to be Matt Dillon and Thandie Newton. The two had the best scenes in the film, and both acted in such passion and force, I can see why Dillon was nominated for the Oscar, but why wasn't Newton? Don Cheadle, Jennifer Esposito, Terrence Howard, and Ryan Phillippe were all great, but Sandra Bullock also impressed me a lot. Her bad reputation is not deserved. Yes, she does pick a lot of bad roles, but when given the right material, she can really shine. Here, she proves she can really act (also notably, she is being considered a frontrunner for the 2010 Oscar for Leading Actress against Meryl Streep). If Bullock picked more challenging roles like this, she would have a better reputation.
Overall, Crash does have flaws, but it also has some incredibly powerful scenes that make it memorable, and a film that has a lot of ambition. While I do think Brokeback Mountain should have won that Oscar for Best Picture, Crash's bad reputation is really not deserved to the extent that it is.