What Dickens would have written and directed today

Rating: 10/10 (18 September 2005)

I am a passionate student of Dickens, preferring his more somber works such as Bleak House to his sillier fare. But even that sillier fare (Great Expectations, Oliver Twist ...)somehow managed to find the human truth of each character, and explore the important social themes of his day, among the improbable and unexpected plot twists. Crash, written and directed by Paul Haggis, is a film that Dickens would have made if he were alive today.
The negative reviews I have read on this clearly have missed the point - "Crash" was overtly trying to be Dickenesque while taking-on a major social issue of today - internal and external racism among black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Persians and various other Americans. Yes, at times it's improbable, but never illogical or impossible. And isn't that like the after effect of a real crash? You never know where the pieces are going to end up, sometimes in the most unlikely of place, but that they got to their destination is a simple and undeniable fact of physics.
Just like Dickens, but in less than 2 hours, you come to intimately know 8 major characters and 10 minor characters. But more importantly, each of these characters give you an insight into your own thoughts, prejudices and self-delusions. The bottom line here is that racism exists because we are sure we know exactly who and what the "other" is; however, that "other" is always far more complex than our racism will let us admit. The secret truth to this movie is that we may think we know who we are as well, yet our own racism is far more complex and affecting than we will ever admit.
Haggis gets the best from his actors. Matt Dillon gives the performance he's been wanting to do for 20 years, as does Sandra Bullock and Brandon Frasier. And Crash answers the question which no one would ever have dared to ask ... Tony Danza actually can act, and act well. Who would have thought? Don Cheadle proves that Hotel Rwanda was not just a one-shot acting triumph. Even better, Haggis gets sterling performances out of a number of actors, many of whom you'll recognize from phoned-in performances from other lesser films and TV experiences who suddenly flower and deliver under this director's attention.
The pace and editing of the film is amazing.
This is probably the best film I have seen yet this millennium. It's worth seeing at least twice.