With
its large cast and interweaving storylines of tragedy, the comparisons to
Magnolia are probably
warranted, although Paul Haggis' Crash doesn't come close to capturing
the inspiration and artistic heights of the film it emulates. Still, the good
does outweigh the bad, offering some solid performances and choice food for
thought.
At the heart of every story, there is
a theme regarding race, particularly in the prejudices people have based
solely on ones appearance or country of origin. There are too many characters
to give a properly storyline summation, but I'll stick to the gist of it.
Anthony (Ludacris, 2 Fast 2
Furious) and Peter (Tate,
A Man Apart) are two Black
carjackers whose latest snatch happens to have been owned by the District
Attorney Rick (Fraser, The
Quiet American) and his uptight wife Jean (Bullock,
Two Weeks Notice).
Meanwhile, Cameron (Howard,
Hart's War) and Christine (Newton,
Shade) are an affluent Black
couple who are pulled over and harassed by a prejudiced cop, Officer Ryan
(Dillon, There's
Something About Mary), and his disapproving partner, Officer Hanson (Phillippe,
The I Inside). Meanwhile,
Graham (Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda)
is a police detective who has been struggling with personal problems stemming
from his junkie mother, missing brother, and the interracial relationship he's
been carrying on with his Hispanic partner, Ria (Esposito,
The Master of Disguise).
Lastly, Daniel (Pena,
Million Dollar Baby) is a Hispanic locksmith gets blamed after a
Middle Eastern family's business is robbed, causing the proud father (Toub,
Broken Arrow) to seek justice. All of their stories collide throughout
the course of the film, sometimes in poignant ways, sometimes in tragic ones.
On occasion, Haggis' ambitious tale
does overplay its hand by being all too obvious, and the tone frequently
indulges in manipulative preaching that doesn't always ring true to the
characters. However, with such an impressive ensemble of actors, and with
writing that never paints any one particular character as wholly good or bad,
the message is still felt that anyone can feel prejudiced against other kinds
of people anytime, anywhere, in all walks of life. Racial friction is all
around us, bubbling just under the surface, rearing its ugly head whenever
tempers flare. The excellent acting and multifaceted characters strengthen
what could have been a phony film into something that always arrests the
attention.
At under two hours, Crash
doesn't really resolve many of the conflicts that occur within the framework
of the movie, instead trying to strike a chord within us as viewers, and let
us make what we will of it all on our own terms. While a certain
predictability to the drama is evident, the manner in which the characters
speak to each other is refreshing and insightful, while the tense situations
are quite riveting and provocative to keep the story lively. The chance
meetings and convenient coincidences can be a bit much to swallow, but
suspension of disbelief will reap rewards for those who are moved by the
resonance of the themes of the movie rather than the believability of the
story structure. Haggis delivers something for the head, the heart, and the
guts, and even if he has to cheat a little in the narrative to get his message
across, so be it. The message is what it's all about.
Qwipster's rating:
©2005 Vince Leo
