smashing

Rating: 10/10 (1 March 2006)

Right from the opening credits I knew that "Crash" would not be your everyday, pop - it - in - the - microwave - and - don't - pay - attention -while - you - watch - TV - and - eat - your - tasteless - dinner distraction. This movie makes you sit up and open your eyes wide. The film follows seven groups of people from varying racial and socio-economic backgrounds as their lives become intertwined through a series of violent events: car crashes, armed robbery, the aftermath of robbery, police brutality and assault. The events are terrifyingly believable. Director Paul Haggis demands and gets superbly honest performances from the entire cast. Although the film unapologetically declares racial prejudice and its consequences as its most obvious theme, its discussion of this horrifying problem is subtly nuanced, and at its heart the film discovers genuine remorse and compassion. "Crash" is equally gritty and sensitive without indulging in anger, despair, or sentimentality. It is profoundly heart-breaking and also profoundly, but not stupidly, optimistic. Hell, it's just plain profound.