Good flick

Rating: 8/10 (10 December 2010)

Crash, written and directed by Paul Haggis, is a story concentrating on 8 seemingly unrelated characters whose lives "crash" down over a fateful 24 hours. With a star-studded cast leading the way, the film takes a hard look at the external tensions and stereotypes of the people in greater Los Angeles, and contrasts them with the internal struggles of the dealing with life in cultural melting pot. Reminiscent of Magnolia (1999) or Traffic (2000), each individual character's story is shown, and then woven together through various incidents that might seem like a normal day on the streets of L.A.
Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Ryan Phillippe, Larenz Tate, and Terrence Howard lead a strong cast that give a deep introspective into the conflicts of life in L.A. Each main character has some stereotype, usually racial, that they are playing into, willingly or not. Dillon plays an angry LAPD officer that abuses his power, but at the same time shows a softer side while trying to take care of his sick father. Phillippe plays the opposite of Dillon, an officer who bucks the system and stands up for what he believes is right. He too is conflicted between his external values and the stereotypes of the world he lives in. This internal/external conflict is a constant theme between the other characters, from the upstanding district attorney's wife (Bullock) to the successful African American director (Howard) to the petty criminal (Tate). All of these conflicts come to a head in the 24 hours where their lives intersect.
Racial tensions play a key component in the story. The plot lines are controversial and attack real issues that affect our society head-on. The characters show the worst and the best of people, and take you on an emotional roller coaster as you learn more about them and what makes them who they are.
The subjective viewpoints throughout the film give the viewer the experience of living in these character's shoes. The cinematography and editing are top notch, and place the viewer within the correct frame of mind to understand the situation without being too obvious. The scenes, although seemingly disjointed and non-related, flow together into a wonderful series of stories. The strong soundtrack plays a huge part in this film, with subtle background music that highlights the seriousness of certain scenes, and the lack of any sound highlighting tense moments.
Crash brings good directing, writing, and acting together to tackle a difficult subject matter, and turns it into a great drama that tugs at emotions of the viewer throughout.