Paul Haggis applies a fine cast to challenge many issues and dilemmas successfully, whilst crafting an entertaining viewing.

Rating: 9/10 (14 April 2008)

'It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.' Don Cheadle sets the scene of the story immediately. Contrary to the connotations of embracement and collision the film title 'Crash' implies, this film explores the sense of touch, specifically the lack of it. This exploration takes place between the intertwining lives of several people living in the intricate network of bustling streets known as L.A. Taking the form of an innocent bystander, the viewer is actively brought into the daily conflictions of characters as they battle through various situations over a 24 hour period. Such extremes are found to the sense that explosions occur whenever they meet; whether that is in the form of a physical crash or something more complex.
Paul Haggis tackles this issue very professionally, as he portrays the racist prejudice that is clearly embedded throughout our society; although he almost overdoes it sometimes, as the film sometimes dangerously borders a state over exaggeration- almost every scene involves racism. Despite this possibility, there is no doubt that Paul Haggis raises, and shrewdly answers, some colossal topics. An ensemble cast delivers a dramatic performance at its very finest, Thandie Newton and Matt Dillon delivering particularly convincing performances- both portray characters with adamant beliefs and stubborn personalities, who end up being brought to humility- the latter obtaining an Oscar nomination. All of the characters feel some isolation from society, and even isolation from themselves, as Paul Haggis challenges some of the common misconceptions about society, through these character's instability, and their inadvertent search for truth about themselves. Memorable moments come thick and fast in the film, as the viewer is subtly bombarded with differing dilemmas; there is no clear plot to this film, although the story revolves around a certain car crash. Policeman and detectives, lawyers and housewives, shopkeepers and locksmiths, people from all walks of lives come crashing together to form a brilliant motion picture sequence. This film may stir dilemmas within the viewer, as inadvertent assumptions about oneself are questioned. Be prepared for a crash!