thoughtful and startling

Rating: 9/10 (8 June 2005)

One of the early scenes in the movie sets it up quite nicely: two young black men walk out of an LA restaurant, discussing the bad service they have just been subject to and the stereotyping they face. They are intelligent and thoughtful. And then they carjack a white couple.
And so Crash goes: you think you know, a character says at one point, but you have no idea.
While that line is a complete cliché thanks to MTV, it rings true for this film. Every character has an unexpected turn, mixing the good and bad in all of us in nuanced ways.
The cast is stellar, and the characters' actions wholly believable. You will not leave this movie untouched.