Definitely thought provoking but not much of a coincidence

Rating: 7/10 (10 February 2008)

It's a WELL made movie but I'm not sure if it deserved an Oscar for the best motion picture.
It provides moments of thought-provoking drama. But as another reviewer has noticed, the coincidences including the rescue scene were made up and not entirely coincidental.
A few spoilers here: There are interesting thoughts here - one armed car thief (we don't know this yet) is walking with his partner-in-crime, similarly armed and makes some preposterously racist statements like how large dark windows on buses are racist in nature, about how a black waitress was racist by not offering them coffee and (now, this got me thinking) about how Bullock clung to Fraser as soon as she saw two black men in one of the safest, well-lit and 'white' parts of the town.
His partner is depicted as more rational and least bothered about stereotypes of colour - he clearly explains that the waitress did not offer them coffee because they didn't order any. This conversation could have set the tone for the film. However, many more dialogues were more mellow in nature.
Notice that the 'racist' cop Ryan tries to explain to Shaniqua Johnson as to why he felt bad about the colour thing because of what happened to his father - now, this was an aside to his previously racist character and he ends up saving Christine in a scene that is believable and brings out some good acting from Thandie Newton. Thus, we see characters that are more complex than you or me or rather, those who wear that complexity on their sleeves more often.
Similarly, Bullock's explanation of her fear from the locksmith is also fine but I am not that impressed with her acting in this small role and her character still appeared racist.
Also notice that most of these characters have mixed shades of conscience. Our car thief again is reluctant to rob cars from blacks but ends up saving a bunch of (probably) smuggled south east Asians from the car dealer who was going to sell them, calling them Chinamen.
While many would question Cameron's passiveness in the 'probing' scene, his point is well explained, although not accepted by his wife. I don't think he had any inferiority complexes about being black - he was just scared of the cop who had a gun and appeared ready to frame them.
Cut to the lovemaking scene: Detective Graham is making love with his partner of El Salvador / Puerto Rican origin thinking she's Mexican and telling his mother she's white to anger her. This was a bit overdone, in my opinion. This one was not necessary.
Other racial prejudices brought out are: Persians being called Arab (now I would not like to comment on how the Arab-Persian world sees the rest of the world). Also, note that the Persian guy, himself a victim of racism while buying a gun, is also racist in behaviour when it comes to assuming that the black locksmith was behind the robbery of his shop. This part is interesting as it clearly shows that victims of racism, including blacks in the movie, are racist in their own right. Incidents like these are just there to make you think.
No real solutions are suggested in the film except fleeting hints at humanity and the coincidence (this was real) that the white officer Hansen and the black car thief carried the same statues for their cars - people of all 'colours' could like the same things.