From Brilliance to Hack

Rating: 6/10 (9 January 2006)

Luckily, Crash doesn't suffer the same overwrought, juvenile story telling of the more acclaimed Million Dollar Baby. At least in this case Haggis is able to weave several interesting characters into a somewhat digestible film. However the so-called great exploration into race relations is totally underwhelming, ever so for anyone that's ever dealt with racism in real life.
The most interesting stories have to do with Det. Waters (Cheadle) and the other with Jack Ryan (Dillon). Waters is a respected African-American detective who lives in shame because of his addict mother, inability to have a healthy interracial relationship, and has to come to terms with his younger brother's actions and is forced to "sell out" within the force.
Dillon, in an amazing performance, is a racist cop, made so, not born with it. His father, hard-working, is forced into poverty and lives in pain and Dillon blames it on blacks. During a routine stop, he molests a young women in front of her husband. Their subsequent meeting, and the interaction between the characters during a life-threatening moment, is gripping. Ever more so, you never know if either character actually changed or whether these moments simply reinforced the realities of racism.
Good entertainment but without significant substance.