Moving and thought-provoking.

Rating: 8/10 (28 March 2007)

The writer of Million Dollar Baby, Paul Haggis returns with this arguably the best film of the last half a decade. Crash is a stunning and powerful depiction of modern day life in Los Angeles under the racist LAPD judicial system. The narrative follows several characters from different racial backgrounds as their lives intertwine and the prejudices each one holds for other races are rocked to their very foundations.
The conflicts encountered by the various characters reflect many of the issues that affect our society today such as a white police officer stopping a black man and his wife for 'DWB' ('driving while black'). Crash takes a long, hard look at the white authoritarian members of society and their racism but also looks at it from the point of view of those who are victims of such racism. The result pulls the audience through a cathartic journey that will leave all who see it with the opportunity to give racism a serious thought.
The acting, especially from the film's central characters never ceases to amaze as the audience bears witness to some stunning performances, especially Don Cheadle and Matt Dillon. Crash gave its actors the opportunity to really show off their considerable talent, which many of them did.
The music in Crash contributes a great deal to its overall effect. With few exceptions, the score is mellow but powerful and serves to give each scene the strength to convey that part of the story.
Featuring a star-studded cast including Don Cheadle, Brendan Frasier, Sandra Bullock, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges and Matt Dillon, Crash is a complex and riveting tale of a group of individuals that face colossal changes and choices that will put their strength to the test. Crash has won many awards recently including piping Brokeback Mountain for the Oscar for 'Best Film'. This film is not overrated and is arguably the best film to be released for a long time. Akin in many respects to '21 Grams' and 'Magnolia' the complexity of the characters and story will hold the audience to the screen for two hours of cinematic brilliance.