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Crash (2005) Lions Gate Films 1 hr. 40 mins. Starring: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Brendan Fraser, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Terrence Howard, Thandie Newton, Ludacris, Larenz Tate, Ryan Phillippe, Michael Pena, Shaun Toub, Bahar Soomekh, Marina Sirtis, Loretta Devine, Keith David, Tony Danza Directed by: Paul Haggis Crash Rating:  
E-MAIL FRANK OCHIENG Director/co-writer Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby) faithfully constructs a provocative narrative that dares to challenge the boundaries of divisive perception regarding the theme of American racial relations. In the intense and sobering ensemble urban drama Crash, Haggis refreshingly tells a sordid yet solid tale about the race issue from an emotionally raw standpoint. Saddled with caustic overtones that weave in and out comparable to an overactive threaded needle, Crash is a gritty examination of misplaced tension and despair wrapped up in its makeshift boiling point. Crash caused a sensation at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival. Cleverly, Haggis designed his explosive exposition about racial ribaldry in pretty much the same signature cinematic structure that is very reminiscent of maverick filmmaker Robert Altman’s (Short Stories) noted screen work. The characteristics of Altman’s techniques and influences are quite evident here: overseeing and manipulating an impressive mega-cast of who’s who, spinning various stories into one major stimulating plot, presenting insightful dilemmas that tap into each individualistic sequence, etc. In fact, for some moviegoers Crash may resemble the melodramatic blueprint of Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 hypnotic Magnolia as one of its obvious inspirations. There’s no doubt that Haggis and co-writer Bobby Moresco’s compelling screenplay turns this tricky and twisting material into an ambitious commentary meant to convey the psychological paranoia and inherent skepticism about our biased fears. The film’s dialogue is stark and confrontational while effortless in its ability to use the disagreeable language as an unsettling but truthful dose of reality to one’s sensitive ears. As an auteur with a raging and important message to spread, Haggis is very skillful in that his fiery fable is never trivialized as a session of shock value for convenience’s sake. Crash intertwines its conflicting mode with nervous humor, naked honesty, and sharp-tongued resonance. Clearly, this film percolates with the right kind of toxic manipulation and complexity. The hedonistic haze of Haggis’ edgy universe is displayed on the busy landscape of the hostile Los Angeles streets. We’re given a scrambled puzzle and voluntarily asked to visually piece together the scattered parts of discontentment. The plagued protagonists being paraded around all seemingly possess their countless flaws and hang-ups that generate the inner city turmoil in all its varied degrees of urgency. Methodically, the film strings along a series of predicaments that involve elements of racially charged distrust. Two detectives (Don Cheadle and Jennifer Esposito) are in a stagnant interracial relationship that threatens to ruin their professional/personal status en route to investigating a car accident. The city’s District Attorney and his jittery wife (Brendan Fraser and Sandra Bullock) are carjacked by two black teens (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Larenz Tate) while the philosophical street hoods harbor an unshakable resentment about the “deceptive white man”. Also, a professional young black couple (Terrence Dashon Howard and Thandie Newton) are being scrutinized by a pair of judgmental and roguish cops (Matt Dillon and Ryan Phillippe). A Latino locksmith (Michael Pena) endures harsh treatment and is ridiculed without his detractors knowing what a dedicated family man he really is at heart. A Middle Eastern businessman (Shaun Toub) is constantly shunned as an Arab enemy and will do what it takes to protect his family (Marina Sirtis and Bahar Soomekh) and community store-owned assets from his jingoistic tormentors. Overall, the volatile content to Crash is amazingly potent and absorbing. The performances are powerfully on the mark from the endless stream of participants that bring their brand of heavy-handed angst to the forefront. Haggis manages to robustly approach this feature with a fervent stroke of persistence in its disturbing skin. The film is smart enough to not offer a synthetic solution to a broad-minded and bold social sickness known as racial hatred. When exploring the trivialities behind the everyday occurrences that triggers the cynical human psyche, Haggis is precise when he touches upon the meager vulnerabilities that can develop when we’re guarded in reference to our self-inflicted inadequacies. As cautionary showcase about our disoriented belief systems, Haggis wryly pinpoints the negative energetic surge when allowing us to witness these troubled souls sporting disillusioned shields of ignorance and suspicion. Well-acted and thought-provoking in its calculating convictions, Crash is a viable and observant piece of venomous entertainment that hastily warns us to wake up before it’s too late to remedy any of our tattered, deep-seeded wounds. Click here to comment on this review or post your own thoughts. Frank Ochieng © TheWorldJournal.com |
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