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Rating: 10/10 (11 March 2006)

'Crash' blew me away after I saw it the first time. I was still blown away the second time I watched it. And the third. And, you guessed it, the fourth. Just 17, I had never really bothered with films that weren't Spider-Man, X-Men, or Harry Potter, until 2005. Then I saw 'Crash', this incredible motion picture from Paul Haggis. Seeing this movie woke me up in every aspect of life, including my outlook on life, race, and the hardships of living. The movie focuses on several characters, with near perfect performances from the cast, which consists of: Oscar Nominee Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Ryan Phillippe, Oscar Nominee Terrence Howard, Oscar Nominee Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton, William Fichtner, Michael Pena, Brendan Fraser, Larenz Tate, and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges.
The film, as you probably know, is about how the lives of all these people, their stories, if you will, intertwine over one 36 hour period in Los Angeles. All of their stories will CRASH together because of racial issues, corruption, or other things. A movie full of twists and turns, it will seem a little confusing at first, but at about the 1 and a quarter hour mark, it will all make sense, and that confusion will be replaced with understanding of why and how that particular event occurred.
This is the mark of the excellent directing of Paul Haggis (writer of Million Dollar Baby) and the fantastic cast (especially Bullock, Howard, Bridges, and Dillon) right here: during the movie, you will feel as if you are not watching a movie about the characters, but getting a look into the lives of these 11 people, because it is so well-acted and well-directed that you won't be able to tell a difference. The picture's Oscar nominated song (Bird York's 'In The Deep') best describes it: when you first hear the song, it's like it doesn't know what it wants to be. Should it be a dramatic song, a tragic song, or a romantic song? The movie is the same way. At the beginning, the character's do not know who they are and what they are doing, but by the ending, each one of them will have undergone a transformation that leaves them knowing exactly who they are and why they are where they are. It is so incredibly powerful, that more than one scene can bring you to tears, but at the same time, sarcastic one-liner's are thrown in to keep the mood right.
Never before has an ensemble cast been this good, and while Dillon's Oscar nomination was nice, I believed that Sandra Bullock and Terrence Howard should have gotten one as well. Dillon is the best out of all, however, and I think he represented the entire cast at the Oscars. We get a surprising turn from Bullock, who has never really been taken seriously in movies before, but she is wonderful in this. Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges breaks the mold as a 'rapper-turned-actor'. He is just an actor. His performance is so convincing that you'll forget that he's a rapper. In fact, he even makes a joke about how bad hip-hop music is at one point. Terrence Howard was not only Oscar worthy in MTV's Sundance Stud, 'Hustle & Flow', but he was fantastic in Crash as a man who is unstable with his wife after an 'episode' with a police officer (you'll see), and another 'dispute' with a man (once again, you'll see). Ryan Phillippe also turns in a nice performance, as do Larenz Tate and William Fichtner in supporting roles. Don Cheadle's character is probably what you'd call the main character, as most of the intersecting events do affect him, even though he isn't present at all of them. Once again, he does a great job of reminding you of what a screen presence he is. The biggest surprise of the movie to me was Michael Pena. I had never seen him before, and was moved by his performance as well. Pena's character is probably the only truly good and moral character in the entire movie.
Paul Haggis wrote and directed this film (written with assistance from Bobby Moresco), and he accomplished the goal that I'm sure was this film's: let the audience know that sometimes, the world isn't always perfect, and people are affected by actions as little telling your daughter about an imaginary impenetrable cloak. This is a movie you will remember forever, and I'm sure you'll spread the word. It deserved the Best Picture Oscar it won.
Just remember: Moving at the speed of life, we are bound to collide with each other.
10/10 --spy