By Rina Risper
“Crash” is fast becoming one of the most talked about films released in 2005. It is not a film for those who want to escape realism, watch a gore flick or land on another planet.
This is a movie that, if you saw it in the theater, would make
you think long and hard about watching it again or buying the DVD or video.
It explores the notion that there is good and bad in all of us.
It brings the nature of bigotry and stereotypes to the forefront and
explores some of the possible reasonings behind it.
The intersecting plot lines, written by Paul Haggis, explore the idea that deep down inside, some of us are not even aware of the prejudices that exist in themselves.
Haggis chose an amazing ensemble cast that included Oscar nominee Don Cheadle as well as Matt Dillon, Ryan Phillipe, Thandie Newton and Terrence Howard. Hopefully there will be some Oscar nominations for this superb movie.
The movie starts with a car accident and immediately you are thrust into a whirlwind of surprising reactions and comments.
Set in diverse Los Angeles, the characters include a distracted, upwardly mobile District Attorney and his pampered Brentwood housewife, who is always miserable; an immigrant Persian store owner who buys a gun to protect his shop and his daughter; and two police detectives — one black, one Puerto Rican — who are also lovers. One of the police officers has family members who are involved with stealing and drug use.
Other characters include a black television director and his wife, a Mexican locksmith and his family, two car-jackers who talk about race and how interactions in society affect their lives, a rookie cop and a veteran cop, and a middle-aged Korean couple.
Almost every major ethnic background in Los Angeles was represented and they all were interesting and realistic enough to keep your attention. The music was hauntingly superb.
If you want to hear shocking but truthful dialogue, rent “Crash.”
You will love it … but expect a twist at the end.
The movie makes a great stocking stuffer and may even spur an open discussion about race relations in today’s society with the person you give it to.
