Crash: A Quick Review

"Crash," written and directed by Paul Haggis was released in 2005.  It won three Oscars including Best Picture, Best Editing, and Best Original Screenplay.  There are several people in the main cast, but I am going to opt to just list a handful (meaning the rest of the people I would be unable to recognize if I saw them in another movie): Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Don Cheadle, Terrence Howard, and Matt Dillon.  This film is set in Los Angeles and covers a two day period and a wide range of characters.  Each character has there own story but as the film unfolds it becomes evident that their experiences are all interrelated. Crime and racism in general are both prevalent themes that are explored through such characters as a district attorney and his wife (Fraser and Bullock) and a racist cop (Matt Dillon).  The acting in this movie was fantastic.  Had any of these actors dropped the ball, the movie would not have been nominated or won any Academy Awards and would not really be worth people's time.  "Crash" is very character driven.  Each of the people have their own characteristics and their own problems to deal with.  Throughout the movie it moves back and forth between each of the different characters, usually two or three at a time.  This make the story interesting to watch and ended up being quite easy to follow.  I have not seen the other four movies that this was up against for Best Picture, so I have nothing to compare it to in that regard.  The movie was well done, as for as the aesthetics go and it was perfectly paced.  I however, have seen better movies to win Best Picture, but that's merely my opinion.  I can highly recommend this film in good conscience.  And if you don't at least start to tear up or show any kind of emotion during a particular scene near the end, you may actually have no soul.


-Joseph Sbrilli