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“In LA nobody touches you.” This dialogue is spoken by police officer Graham (Don Cheadle) as he sits in his squad car with his partner overlooking a murder scene. Crash is set in Los Angeles, a disconnected metropolis; where car crashes are metaphorical for people coming together in order to be able to feel pain or love. Paul Haggis, as writer-director of the film, has created a remarkable story about race and class showing that even with all the differences between our ethnicities and culture we are more alike than we know.
Crash reminded me of the ensemble drama Grand Canyon in the way its story is structured where separate narratives are all interconnected into the larger picture of the film. Here we see cops, politicians, store owners, and criminals as one. In both films it is essential that you suspend your disbelief in order to appreciate the message, allowing coincidence and synchronicity to reign supreme. By trusting in that, you will be taken on a moving journey. Grand Canyon is also set in Los Angeles, deals with race, and feeling connected with your fellow human being but while engaging some of the scenes come off preachy. Both movies have moments that seem mystical, yet Crash appears to handle this in a more even handed manner where the scenes are dramatic and unexplainable. You accept it nonetheless as a believer very much so as the film shown in an earlier scene on the marquee, It’s a Wonderful Life.
Another interesting story device is how the ‘good guy’ and ‘bad guy’ are only separated by a few degrees. In other words, situations arise where good turns bad and vice versa. This is not only perplexing but gut-wrenching to view where nothing is crystal clear.
There are no weak links in the ensemble cast and the actors all give strong performances. The one actor who surprised me the most was the rapper Ludacris. His character is anti-rap and truly believes that he is oppressed as an African American. He is a walking contradiction trying to be a proud self sufficient black man while he plies his trade as a petty criminal. He spouts his conspiracy theories throughout the film, but as the story rolls on we see his character change and understand the importance of trying to contribute positively to society. Ludacris really impressed me as he was able to create a believable character different than his lively, animated rapper persona. He toned himself down and tempered his character’s inner anger ultimately with peace.
Matt Dillon also has a huge presence in the film as conflicted, often racist cop, Officer Ryan with mounds of misplaced anger while the usually genial Sandra Bullock dives into new territory as the frustrated and unpleasant Jean who blames everyone including ‘Blacks’ and ‘Hispanics’ for her unhappy yet privileged state of affairs. In this sense, their characters are thematically linked even though their lives ...
