Movie Reviews
Crash 
Rated R (2005)
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Brandan Fraser, Matt Dillon, Ryan Phillippe, Terrence Howard
Direction: Paul Haggis
Production: Don Cheadle, Paul Haggis, Mark R. Harris, Cathy Schulman, Bob Yari, Bobby Moresco
Screenplay: Paul Haggis, Bobby Moresco
by Vincent St. James
The Lowdown:
Easily the most entertaining, thought-provoking picture of 2005 so far. The cast is excellent (hats off to Sandra Bullock and crew) and Paul Haggis shows he is as impressive as a director as he is a screenwriter. See this MOVIE!
Plot:
Race relations play a crucial role in everyday situations, big and small, as demonstrated by the chain of events involving: Los Angeles's finest in Jack Ryan (Matt Dillon), a cop who can exhibit shameless behavior; detective Graham Waters (Don Cheadle); Waters's latin love interest (Jennifer Esposito); District Attorney Rick Cameron (Brendan Fraser); and Cameron's wife Jean (Sandra Bullock); thugs (Chris Bridges and Larenz Tate); Ryan's partner (Ryan Phillippe); an upperclass black couple (Terrence Dashon Howard and Thandie Newton) ; and a Mid-Eastern family. The elaborate web sheds light on the underlying sentiments that drive common actions of everyday life between people of different races.
Analysis
Paul Haggis impressed many with his screenwriting skills in Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby. His directorial debut is every bit as impressive- even moreso considering this is his rookie effort at the helm.
To me, movies that star too many A-list actors raise a red flag. The main problem
is that these type of movies are unable to utilize the cast members' strengths while
preserving some kind of balance and rhythym. Thankfully, that isn't the case here.
Every single star shines brightly in this film, and in no way does it feel forced.
Performances are great throughout. I have always been a believer that Brandan Fraser
should get into more serious roles, and I'm proved right with his portrayal of a
District Attorney. Matt Dillon should be nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award.
Ryan Phillippe might have revived a quiet career. Ludacris fits nicely into his role. Howard
continues to perform well; hopefully he will get the recognition he deserves. However,
no ones impressed me more than Sandra Bullock. Maybe its because I have longed for
this woman to chew on some juicy lines, and she takes advantage of every
opportunity here. She deserves some type of nomination, even if its for Supporting Actress.
The rest of the characters are more than adequate at their jobs.
Another of Crash's strengths is its pacing. It goes by so quickly I almost took points off because it didn't run longer. It manages to tell the story of these characters with such intertwined lives without ever slowing down, letting up or getting boring. I attribute much of this to the script. Under someone else's direction or writing, this becomes a three hour one-timer. As it is, I can't wait to see it again. Further, it manages to deal with the subject matter of race, ever so important in today's society, with such sincerity that one forgets all of the dreadfully obvious coincidences. It does so much more than get its point across. So much can be learned, so much left to be pondered, so much can be taken from this film, all depending on who's watching.
Yes, Crash was great, but I can't help but wonder how many (or few) Hollywood films will be brave enough to take a queue from this masterpiece.
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