The best film of the year so far!!!

Rating: 10/10 (23 August 2005)

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits
Los Angeles. A place of massive cultural diversity, that doesn't always go hand in hand together.
A man has been found murdered on the side of a lay-by. There's the black detective with the hispanic wife who's leading the case. His brother is a tear-away who couldn't have chosen a different life. There's the district attorney, obsessed with public appearance and his constantly angry, fussy wife. Their car is robbed by two young black men who've only become what they are because the society they live in has inadvertently allowed them to. The couple's door-lock is being fixed by a dodgy looking gang-member type who's in fact only trying to make ends-meet for his daughter. He gets into a dispute with his employer, an immigrant salesman who everybody mistakes him and his family for Iraqis. There's the reserved music producer and his wife who chastises him for not being manly enough, stopped by a cop with a dying dad and a racist grudge. There's his rookie partner, nervous about making a stand against it.
Cleverly combining the twin threats of a city already on the edge with a lot of post 9/11 angst still running rife, Crash is an intelligent, powerful, thoughtful, compelling and absorbing study of how prejudice and unjust phobia can tear not only a community apart but a city apart. It's an inspired and clever idea, high-lighting a lot of the potential ways in which the strife is caused. It shows not only the effect on the society, but on the soul as well, with the powerful score and the silent parts.
As for the cast, it's really a mix of those who's careers are already on a high and those who'll be lucky to be offered something as deep and meaningful again in years. Having seen Hotel Rwanda just last week, Don Cheadle continues to shine here in one of the lead roles. The film has a similar feel to Traffic, another film he was in, and it looks like he'll have a career appearing in these kind of arty, high-brow flicks and good for him that he's appearing in roles that are worthy of his talents. There's good work too from Sandra Bullock and, continuing to distance himself from his goofy earlier work, Brendan Fraser. Speaking of which, rap star Ludicrous is really one of the main stars of the show here, creating a great contrast with his clever, insightful presence here with his role in the slightly less provocative 2 Fast 2 Furious. Matt Dillon and Ryan Phillipe, two actors who've always left a bit to be desired, surprise and shine here and create a great double act as the harder, more influential older cop and the vulnerable, more naive rookie. And as for Thandie Newton, well, all I'll say is if I'd judged her on the basis of The Chronicles of Riddick (the only film I remember seeing her in!) I'd have been missing out on a lot. The remainder of the supporting cast are all very good as well.
The film is directed by Canadian Paul Haggis, who's only other theatrical release has been the little heard-of 1993 movie Red Hot. He handles it all well right until the end with the cloying use of the okay but woodenly over-used Stereophonics hit Maybe Tomorrow over the closing credits. But other than that, this is the best film of the year so far and one Crash that really makes an impact. *****