CRASH
Cast: Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock...
Director: Paul Haggis
Writer: Paul Haggis
Review Date: 05/10/05
Written By: suj
Rating: 10/10
THE PLOT:
A car accident brings together a group of strangers in Los Angeles.
THE REVIEW:
You know those movies that receive an absurd amount of critical praise, yet nobody has actually ever heard of the film? Well, "Crash" is a movie that can be sandwiched with the rest of those bottom self dwellers etched with the seal of approval of the scenes top critics. Though, I believe “Crash” will get more attention as time goes by, with word of mouth, the amount of screens it plays at will grow dramatically and it’s rightfully so because this here flick is something devastatingly profound, emotionally moving, cringe fully frustrating, and most arduously intriguing of an experience.
Paul Haggis, best known for writing that cheerful gem of a movie called “Million Dollar Baby” A film to which I refuse to watch simply because that’s just how I roll, delivers a masterful movie going experience with “Crash.” It’s a movie that covers a multitude of arguments and ideas, as its theme centers on the contemplation of faulty human communication. The film dives into and suggests that people have grown cold to affection and respect, instead immediately using hatred and paranoia as a way of communicating with others.
By using the city of Los Angeles as its backdrop, the film is able to explore the intense racial loathing and disorder that plagues the city and because of that the setting is able to instill the film with a realistic take on racial claustrophobia. It’s kind of fitting because if you were to place “Crash” anywhere it else it wouldn't make much sense. The film makes Los Angeles look like hell on Earth. Yet, Haggis doesn’t give in to that fear, and manages to find a palpable sense of hope behind each and every door, person, and the shattering of cultures, and furious intolerance.
The film’s glory and much praise come from its ability to balance the melodrama and realism in such a seamless way. Its here that the movie really gets it, really understands the situation and knows exactly what it wants to do and succeeds in that notion in more ways than one. Haggis and his brilliant cast often perform loudly and uncomfortably to generate the sickening feeling of despair and it’s both endearing and scary of how much power each word or action holds when it’s spit forth. This is a film that deals with blinding rage, and while the story dangerously straddles the line between cartoonish and insightful, Haggis never lets the tone go to the extreme. He keeps the truth of the situation bubbling behind every scene, and exploits the audiences’ own personal prejudices with his scripted moments of aggravation, bitterness, and incorrect racial assignment. These characters aren’t simply evil people, just products of their environment, family, and frustrations; they ache in very human ways to connect and protect, but are stunted by their own fears and anger. Haggis’s script marvelously connects the many stories through an often used multi-character, crisscross structure, and with that the cinematic cleverness of it all is erased instantaneously by the emotional volcano that routinely erupts with every frame.
As the film moves along, “Crash” grows stronger and stronger, until it feels that the screen has become one with the audience. I dare anyone not to recoil in horror as Jean yells about the untrustworthiness of a Mexican handyman, or as Anthony decries the negative Caucasian viewpoint of African-Americans while carjacking any automobile he can (props goes out to Ludacris, who really surprised me). In addition, some might feel the need to reach out for some tissue or perhaps even heart medication after witnessing Daniel and his angelic daughter at the business end of a gun in the picture’s best sequence.
The events in “Crash” roll forward without stopping, at times unbearably, yet they register strongly with their frankness and integrity. The honesty might be uncomfortable to watch, but through Haggis’s careful vision, the picture is one of those "must see" films.
Director: Paul Haggis
Writer: Paul Haggis
Review Date: 05/10/05
Written By: suj
Rating: 10/10
THE PLOT:
A car accident brings together a group of strangers in Los Angeles.
THE REVIEW:
You know those movies that receive an absurd amount of critical praise, yet nobody has actually ever heard of the film? Well, "Crash" is a movie that can be sandwiched with the rest of those bottom self dwellers etched with the seal of approval of the scenes top critics. Though, I believe “Crash” will get more attention as time goes by, with word of mouth, the amount of screens it plays at will grow dramatically and it’s rightfully so because this here flick is something devastatingly profound, emotionally moving, cringe fully frustrating, and most arduously intriguing of an experience.
Paul Haggis, best known for writing that cheerful gem of a movie called “Million Dollar Baby” A film to which I refuse to watch simply because that’s just how I roll, delivers a masterful movie going experience with “Crash.” It’s a movie that covers a multitude of arguments and ideas, as its theme centers on the contemplation of faulty human communication. The film dives into and suggests that people have grown cold to affection and respect, instead immediately using hatred and paranoia as a way of communicating with others.
By using the city of Los Angeles as its backdrop, the film is able to explore the intense racial loathing and disorder that plagues the city and because of that the setting is able to instill the film with a realistic take on racial claustrophobia. It’s kind of fitting because if you were to place “Crash” anywhere it else it wouldn't make much sense. The film makes Los Angeles look like hell on Earth. Yet, Haggis doesn’t give in to that fear, and manages to find a palpable sense of hope behind each and every door, person, and the shattering of cultures, and furious intolerance.
The film’s glory and much praise come from its ability to balance the melodrama and realism in such a seamless way. Its here that the movie really gets it, really understands the situation and knows exactly what it wants to do and succeeds in that notion in more ways than one. Haggis and his brilliant cast often perform loudly and uncomfortably to generate the sickening feeling of despair and it’s both endearing and scary of how much power each word or action holds when it’s spit forth. This is a film that deals with blinding rage, and while the story dangerously straddles the line between cartoonish and insightful, Haggis never lets the tone go to the extreme. He keeps the truth of the situation bubbling behind every scene, and exploits the audiences’ own personal prejudices with his scripted moments of aggravation, bitterness, and incorrect racial assignment. These characters aren’t simply evil people, just products of their environment, family, and frustrations; they ache in very human ways to connect and protect, but are stunted by their own fears and anger. Haggis’s script marvelously connects the many stories through an often used multi-character, crisscross structure, and with that the cinematic cleverness of it all is erased instantaneously by the emotional volcano that routinely erupts with every frame.
As the film moves along, “Crash” grows stronger and stronger, until it feels that the screen has become one with the audience. I dare anyone not to recoil in horror as Jean yells about the untrustworthiness of a Mexican handyman, or as Anthony decries the negative Caucasian viewpoint of African-Americans while carjacking any automobile he can (props goes out to Ludacris, who really surprised me). In addition, some might feel the need to reach out for some tissue or perhaps even heart medication after witnessing Daniel and his angelic daughter at the business end of a gun in the picture’s best sequence.
The events in “Crash” roll forward without stopping, at times unbearably, yet they register strongly with their frankness and integrity. The honesty might be uncomfortable to watch, but through Haggis’s careful vision, the picture is one of those "must see" films.
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