Not to be confused with the David Cronenberg film of the same name, this film takes a different approach, yet retaining the car crash motif. I found this to be an incredible piece of filmmaking, yet I am finding it difficult to find the right words to use in a review. I toyed with the idea of not writing about this film, but I think I would be doing a disservice to a film which deserves to be seen, so I have decided to take a shot at it and give some thoughts regarding it.
The first time I became aware of this movie was by passing a cardboard standee at the local cineplex. It had the title, of course, and listed Sandra Bullock as the star. I was intrigued, the title is word that can conjure up a multitude of meanings, but it is a word of excitement. A word like crash, when used as a title is bound to stir up some curiosity. Then I saw it reviewed on Ebert & Roeper, where they essentially raved about it, they showed a clip featuring Bullock and Brendan Fraser in a heated conversation about the Latino who was changing their locks, and another where Don Cheadle has just insulted his lover, Jennifer Esposito. These two clips stirred up a great deal of curiosity and wanting to see the film, the clips gave examples of a film that didn't pull any punches, shining a light on the bigotry that is around us, even if it is not meant, and even if it is.
This weekend the film opened, and I made a point of going to see it. The film stirred up many feelings within me during it's run. There was disgust, anger, sympathy, sadness, happiness, disbelief, everything was running through me. I also realized that there wasn't really any sort of plot tying all of the characters together, they were all interlocked in one way or another, but they weren't all working towards an end. The film is more a microcosm of society, we all know that there are people like this in the world, but by focusing on them in a small segment of society, in this case Los Angeles, we cans ee the results of them interacting with each other. This, of course, calls for the script itself to have a number of coincidences strewn through it, but they are easy to ignore as the cast of characters are so compelling.
The way the film is pieced together is masterful. All of these different stories, coming from different directions could easily have fallen apart under less skillful direction. Paul Haggis, who also wrote the script, must be commended for keeping the film moving forward, never lingering in any one place too long, but never cutting it short before the desired affect is achieved. There are many squirm inducing scenes. The film is populated with a large number of characters from many races and backgrounds, with none of them being looked upon as being inherently "good" or "evil" people, they are just people with a combination of the two sides. Someone who has been the target of prejudice, can turn around and dish it out on someone else. Very powerful film featuring an A level ensemble cast.
I've spoken on a few things, but nothing directly on the film, maybe I should try giving a little bit of that? I don't really want to give you too much, as this is a film that I feel would be better served going in not knowing too much about it, helps the impact. The film cannot be fit into a formula, nor can it be described to any degree of satisfaction. It reminds me vaguely of 21 Grams, another tale that links a disparate group of people through the common even to of a car crash.
Crash shows people on the receiving end of racism, bigotry, abuse of power. Theses same victims just as easily turn around and spread it to others. It is not an easy thing to witness. There are a number of laugh inducing moments throughout the film, but they weren't really a funny ha ha, the laughs were more nervous and more like a "I can't believe (s)he said that" kind of laughter.
Bottomline. What we have here is an amazing film that cannot be pigeonholed. It features an incredible, and diverse, ensemble cast. Story threads may be held together by numerous plot contrivances, but it hardly matters, as the events hold together well. This is definitely a film to be seen. Do not miss this.
Highly Recommended.
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