complex, interwoven story with brilliant performances

Rating: 9/10 (8 July 2005)

"You think you know who you are. You have no idea." Every relationship and performance in this movie is powerful. This movie asks the question of whether categorizing by race makes it easier or harder for the characters to relate to each other and more, whether it makes it easier or harder for us to relate to them. Every relationship has a superficial and a profound point. Just when you lock someone in as the good guy or bad guy, racist perpetrator or racism victim, something happens that takes the character to another plane. Hours after this movie you'll be remembering something new that was uncovered, waiting for you to take a closer look. No interplay is exempt from examination: Inter- and intra-racial, inter- and intra-family relationships. The movie is fantastic. Academy award nominations will be well-deserved for Haggis, Cheadle, Dillon, Howard, Newton, Phillipe. I'll even give one to Ludicrous.