Black and white in black and white

Rating: 5/10 (9 October 2005)

Rarely have I seen such a three dimensional problem handled so one-dimensionally. Previous reviewers have praised the film for its nuanced investigation of racism in the big city, its unwillingness to bend to stereotypes, and its (and I groan as I'm writing this) avoidance of "easy answers to tough questions."
I'm here to tell you that if you're looking for probing, nuanced film, you're going to have fast forward through a lot of CRASH: all of the beginning, the middle, most of the end. Stop at the credits to pay respect to some genuinely phenomenal actors, and then take the movie back to Blockbuster (or send it back to Netflix, if that's your thing) and try your luck at another movie, because at no point is this film get within striking distance of probing OR nuanced.
With CRASH, Paul Haggis attempts to show us the repercussions of racism in America. In an attempt to be brutally honest with his subject matter, Haggis has written a script completely devoid of stereotypes. Check out this dramatis personae:

A racist cop - An African-American made good who is still pulled down in his culture's oppression - A bitchy upper class white woman - A young, attractive DA with political aspirations - Two inner city car thieves, one of whom likes nothing more than to wax poetic about the oppression which he sees absolutely everywhere - A Persian *convenience store owner* targeted for a hate crime because he looks Arab - An Asian woman whose only character trait is that she speaks broken English

Okay, so... honestly. How deep could be we be delving into this problem with this cast of characters. EVERYONE is a stereotype, and just because at some point each of them transcends their stereotype does not mean that they are not still stereotypical characters. I've seen enough "serious films" in my life to know that no one is unequivocally good or bad. Everyone has nuance, and demonstrating that does not make a movie nuanced.
Which might be beside the point anyway, as I would contest that the world where this movie operates is not reality. It's some weird, pseudo reality where EVERYONE is racist ALL THE TIME. Can we take, for example, the scene where the white lawyer essentially says to the black cop "What is the deal with you black people?" Honestly, there is not one character in this entire movie who is not overtly racist. This is simply not like reality. I absolutely agree that everyone has their racial prejudices and preconceptions, but people (especially people who function in civilized society, as almost everyone in this movie does) learn to conceal those prejudices. This apparently not the case in whatever parallel universe in which CRASH takes place. The movie becomes less about excavating racism in America and more about excavating this apparently pandemic problem of people broadcasting their racism with a bullhorn and a sandwich board.
The idea of the film is fundamentally flawed. But, I'm giving it a five out of ten, because the cast is more or less strong and brings some level of depth to their otherwise flat and (even with that oh so original sprig of redemption) unlikeable characters. The dialogue is tight, even if it goes nowhere. The ending is too long and provides almost no closure (which often creates the illusion of "not offering easy answers"). And I want to go on record as agreeing with previous commentators that Soderbergh should keep a better eye on his directing notebook, because I think Haggis has been stealing pages from it. All in all, an entertaining enough film to watch provided that you are not looking for any sort of probing commentary on American society at all.
Anyone who felt they learned something about racism from watching this movie has clearly never thought too hard about the subject. Yes, we're all a little racist. No, racists (even the overt ones) are not irrevocable demons. Yes, racism is endemic and self-replicating. No, racists aren't always white people. And if any of that comes as news to you, I strongly recommend that you buy a newspaper or, you know, turn on your TV or maybe open your eyes and take your fingers out of your ears.