If only it had a bit more depth...

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 2008)

This 2004 Best Picture Oscar winning crime drama from director Paul Haggis tells many tales about racism, crime, families, affairs and love in an intriguing if somewhat exaggerated film with a brilliant cast of actors.
Starring Sandra Bullock (Speed) Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) Thandie Newton (The pursuit of happiness) and Michael Pena, Crash has a credible look from the outside, and as viewers are given multiple stories to digest, it lives up to the star's reputations.
The film justifies the crime genre by focusing strongly upon issues regarded in the media today, particularly racism. Discussed in numerous stories in the film, racism is portrayed negatively and very seriously, none more so than Ludicrous' character who rants about how badly black people are treated, just by what they wear and how they appear to other people. Though you can see the point, it does feel slightly exaggerated.
The way it is talked about by other characters feels very serious and you can feel sorry for some, none more so than Pena's character who has to deal with a whole lot during his story, and his is the best to watch because in all honesty, his protagonist is by far the most intriguing and the one character in the film that was given the most depth and understanding. The scenes with him and his daughter are heart braking, absolute brilliant drama at its best, remarkable and the highlight of the entire film.
The film doesn't feel as strong as it could have been. A few characters could have more depth and the link between them all doesn't feel that strong at the end either.
However it focuses well on the issue in hand, there are great moments of drama involving Pena and Newton's character, Bullock should have been in the film more, it was well directed and despite it's faults, I couldn't tear my eyes away, a watchable and intriguing issue driven drama