A Good Set of Brakes, Please

Rating: 6/10 (18 October 2005)

Mainstream film is certainly awash in remakes and formulae and Crash is an earnest attempt at topical gravitas. "Crash's" ambition merits some recognition. Its over-ambition leads it astray. One can attempt to defend impossible irony and coincidence by presenting it all as fantastical allegory. Yet, "Crash's" downfall is that is seems to initially aspire to verisimilitude and it never transcends into obvious metaphor. The unlikely occurrences on screen then ring falsely. And I'll take my Sandra Bullock "perky," thank-you-very-much. Just kidding, Sandy, kudos to you and the "Crash" crew. Please note: if you have failed to find Ms. Bullock anywhere on screen, please check you have not in error Net-Flixed David Cronenberg's "Crash," the ultimate car- and flesh-melding metaphor from James Ballard's pornographic novel, which they assigned me in Contemporary British Literature class.