2005 May

Archive for May, 2005

CRASH

by Joe Barber on May.07, 2005, under Joe Barber's Movie Reviews

MOVIE REVIEW: “CRASH”

“Crash”, from Academy Award nominated screenwriter (”Million Dollar Baby”)
and first-time director Paul Haggis, weaves together of tapestry of stories
that takes place over a series of a few days in Los Angeles. Like water
cascading down a mountainside, a series of events occur that bring a variety

of people into contact with each other with unexpected, sometimes
unimaginable, results.

Race, and the lazy, dangerous assumptions it often leads us to make about
persons and situations, is at the heart of all the stories in “Crash”. As
we travel from the mean streets to corridors of power, from the police
patrol car to a Hollywood set, we are constantly reminded that people are
never totally what they seem on the surface. Wisedom and compassion are
displayed by characters who would seem to have little experience with
either. Just as surprisingly, others who would seem to know better allow
their fear or foolishness to move them in directions they ordinarilly might
never imagine themselves going in.

Though Haggis works hards to entertain and engage us throughout his movie,
he also refuses to compromise with us. He continually reminds us that the
trap of racism to far too easy to fall into and that there are no real
excuses for surrendering to its clutching grasp. In his not so fictional
Los Angles, a careless word or a thoughless act can have as many ripples as
throwing a rock in a ponnd.

Haggis’ acting ensamble, headed by Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock and Brendan
Fraser, deliver uniformley fine performances. Terrance Howard, Thandie
Newton, Matt Dillion, Loremz Tate, Ryan Phillippe and others portray a wide
range of emotional colors in their scenes, doing a remarkable job making
their characters real and multi-dimensional.

“Crash” is not an easy film to watch. It offers no simple answers and, like

life itself, not every story ends in a totally satisfying manner. But, for
moviegoers who want more than just a simple and simplistic evening’s
entertainment, this will be a really rewarding film to see and to discuss,
endlessly. It is a truly remarkable movie.

MPAA RATING: R for profanity, violence and sexual situations
JOE’S RATING: THREE AND A HALF STARS.