A searing examination of contemporary life, filtered through racism and several derivatives

Rating: 10/10 (17 July 2005)

Written and Directed by Paul Haggis (writer of Million Dollar Baby) and starring an ensemble cast that includes Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillion, Michael Pena, Thandie Newton, Terrence Howard, Brendan Fraser and Jennifer Esposito.
The movie is set in Los Angeles and presents several interconnected vignettes of contemporary life (over a day and a half) filtered through the lens of racism and several derivatives.
The movie will deservedly face a barrage of criticisms, chief of which is its ability to manipulate the audience to a state of being very unsettled. This is done using a series of observations and it works well. However, given how they are intensely dramatic and thematic, are these observations realistic?
This notwithstanding, the movie's thematic elements get the message across: racism, stereotyping, class lines, all result in faulty human communication and interaction. The film rolls along quickly advancing whether you recognize it or not, everyone is affected.
The entire cast is superb, probably because of their belief in the material and Haggis' command. However there are a few stellar performances, most notably: Matt Dillion, Thandie Newton, Michael Pena, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Ryan Phillipe. The "Crash" moments of these central characters (always two-sided) are very well executed, despite the fact it personally ached to watch at times.
The film employs Los Angeles like Michael Mann would do, establishing the city as a character. It is edited like a Robert Altman or Paul Thomas Anderson flick and Haggis takes his time in totally dismissing the notion of subtlety and clichés, resulting in heightened dramatic tension, even though on occasion, the narrative makes absolutely no sense.
These flaws are thoroughly excusable, because the movie has great ambition, intent and heart. It is one of those rare films that promotes discussion about a very real issue. Further, the presupposition that we all use these filters and that you really may not know yourself, cements the movie's poignancy when we realize the possible consequences of using them.