Crash (2005)

Crash, 2005

Directed by Paul Haggis
Written by Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco




Two young black men walking the streets of Los Angeles have a reasonably thoughtful conversation about race. They see a white woman draw her purse closer to her body as she approaches them, and they criticize her for her racist assumption that they will rob her. Then ... they rob her.

Welcome to Crash.

In the Crash universe, everyone in Los Angeles (and, we are to assume by extension, the United States) has a racist monologue percolating under their tongue, just waiting to be delivered when anyone of a different race does anything to piss them off. And so a small army of some of the best (and worst) actors in the business line up for a series of skits in which one or all of them gets to declare why they hate blacks, Latinos, Asians, Arabs, Eskimos, Visigoths, rodeo clowns, etc. The white woman who was robbed earlier chews out her Latino housekeeper and locksmith because she was just robbed by ... two black guys. A black guy snipes about Latinos to his Puerto Rican/Salvadoran girlfriend because ... well, no real reason. A sound man on the set of an Afro-American television show tells the director that one of the actors has suddenly dropped his Ebonic speech pattern. (Hmmm ... racism, or just plain continuity?)

Writer-Director Paul Haggis trots out one punishing scene after another, rubbing the audience's face in shit without any further commentary or insight; face rubbed in shit is enough. The trouble with Crash versus other racial relations films (Do the Right Thing, for example) is the lack of portrayal of the joy, pride, and humanity of these characters. Because when Haggis eases off on the ugliness, he bypasses honest human behavior and goes straight into schmaltz, with eye-rolling coincidences and phony uplift. By the time all the plotlines have started intersecting, and we are teased with the possibilities of various characters being killed, it's hard to decide which outcome to root for: Do I want another breast-beatingly tragic death scene, or do I just want this character dead so I don't have to see them anymore?

Crash is not without a few merits. There are three standout scenes which are expertly directed and leave a haunting impression. These scenes all star the best performances in the film, from Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard, Thandie Newton, and Michael Pena. In the first, Dillon, a police officer, pulls over Howard and Newtown as they are driving home; in the second, Dillon and Newtown unexpectedly meet again; and in the third, one of the central conflicts erupts at Pena's home. The last two require a certain suspension of disbelief, but if you can accept the fantastical scenario, they do pack a raw, emotional punch, and much of the credit goes to these four exceptional actors. Unfortunately, the cast as a whole is uneven, with blank-faced Ryan Phillippe and Brendan Fraser in over their heads, and Sandra Bullock gratingly over-the-top.

Fans of Crash argue this is an important film because it shows prevalence of racism. If you think the only agents of racism in this country are people dressed in white hoods and burning crosses, then by all means, watch this film and be enlightened. But if this idea seems more than obvious to you, you will do well to skip it.

Grade: C-