With more cheese than a dairy farm, Crash will repeatedly slap you in the face until you swallow the all too obvious message, sideways. Racial segregation is bad. GOT IT??

Rating: 4/10 (2 October 2005)

So, what do we need to make a successful movie these days? Racial themes? Check. Lots of names, including Don Cheadle? Check. A message that any idiot can understand? Check. Heavyweight performances? Check. Many intertwined stories? Check. Searing music? Check. A screenwriter with a recent hit already under his belt? Check. So then, I guess Crash is all set for an onslaught of rave reviews - which, of course, it got. Don't be expecting one here though; I'm not fooled. To be honest, I'm sick of average films like this garnering all the credit that should have been saved for real masterpieces. It seems that all you need nowadays is to make people think that you're making them think and you've got an instant hit. The message in 'Crash' isn't portrayed - it's forced. With all the subtleness of a sledgehammer in the face, writer-director Paul Haggis forces the fact that society segregates different races. In fact, despite all his forcing - there actually isn't a message here. There's people helping other races and judging them before knowing them, but never a definite message; thus suggesting that the lecturer doesn't actually know what he's talking about.
Adding to the film's problems is the fact that it's very, very cheesy and the awful music score - which shows how open minded Haggis is by mixing a lot of racial music in - is simply terrible. This film is advertised as a drama, but I would consider it more of a comedy. Haggis probably thinks that utilising sarcasm in his movie will 'make people think', but all it did for me was make me laugh. In fact, it's the moments of comedy - such as the two car thieves' hilarious comedy of errors - that has stopped me from giving this dross bottom marks. Haggis implements these scenes with a Pulp Fiction-like verve, and it's so out of place that it's hard not to laugh. Come to think of it, this Paul Haggis is a bit of a clown - he's got no idea how to make a film, yet he's sitting on a hit and, no doubt, laughed all the way to the bank. I certainly would have been if I were him. Afterall, all he's done here is exploited the way that critics react to racism and 'powerful' scenes set to silly music and made a film out of it. I'll probably be labelled a racist for writing this review; but before you skip down to the 'unhelpful' button, just remember that I'm being honest. Which is more than I can say for Paul Haggis.