A melting pot

Rating: 9/10 (11 April 2006)

From a relatively obscure film a year ago, to the Best Picture Winner at the Oscar's Sunday night, the word-of-mouth on Crash spread fast. But why did it achieve such high notoriety? Simply put, this thrilling drama is a solidly played out film from start to finish. With 6 Oscar Nominations total, the film features an ensemble cast that led Academy Award host Jon Stewart to remark that, "anyone in the audience who was not in Crash please raise their hands." Some notable performances are in Crash from Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard, Sandra Bullock, Ryan Phillippe, Larenz Tate, Thandie Newton, and Don Cheadle. Matt and Terrence were both nominated for Oscars this year, Terrence for his role in the film Hustle & Flow. From the opening credits I was transfixed by the honesty. The characters drew me into this very day in Los Angeles where races interact, converge and prejudices beneath the surface explode in all directions. This is a fresh portrayal of race relations touching on so many emotions - hope, beauty, redemption, innocence, tenderness, tragedy, and yet even humor. You end up seeing LA as a broad representation of the USA as a whole. This film, rated R, is a melting pot filled with profound truths that does not disappoint.