“Crash” (2005)

“Crash” stars Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser and is brilliantly directed by Paul Haggis.

The story line is set in LA. The cast of characters includes, an upscale DA and his wife, two young African American carjackers, a Persian store owner and his wife and daughter, two police officers, one black and male, the other Puerto Rican and female, (who happen to be having a relationship), an African American television director and his white wife, a Mexican locksmith and his young daughter, a middle-aged Korean husband and wife, a 17 year veteran police officer and his young white rookie partner.

The story begins with a car accident which involves the black police officer and his lady cop partner and the Korean wife. This sets in motion a chain of events where each and every one of their lives, although otherwise very different and unconnected, will collide. These events affect each other, intermittently, in a very profound way, yet not so different.

You may wonder why the deliberate notation of nationalities of each character. Not only do these people’s lives intertwine with each other, they are each affected by prejudice and racial discrimination in a way that’s all too real in today’s society. The writers don’t hold back on the obvious racial slurs. This movie truly tells it like it is, as much as we’d all like to think we’ve come a long way in being so politically correct. It graphically depicts how our prejudices can profoundly affect another human being’s life, with so much honesty that it should make you want to re-evaluate your own belief system.

Although this movie is rated R for language, violence and sexual content (which in my opinion could have done without), I think this movie should be watched…not once, but several times by people of all ages. Some editing would need to be done so younger people could view it as well. However, I would keep the swearing and slurs in, as this is reality, whether we like it or not. This movie might help us all to see just how we “can” and “do” affect other’s lives through our own misguided prejudices and discrimination. It’s not a pretty sight. We could all learn a very valuable lesson by watching this and use it to educate ourselves.

Director Paul Haggis shows absolute genius in directing the many unexpected twists and turns, both in the character’s lives and in the plot of each scene, weaving the characters together so meticulously in this drama. I give “Crash” 5 out of 5 stars…plus 2 thumbs up. A movie you will definitely, and should, want to see.