Crash (2004) - Film Review

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard, Thandie Newton & Don Cheadle

Screenplay: Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco

Directed By: Paul Haggis

Certificate: 15

 

On paper, Crash looks like the kind of film that should really click with me. A drama film exploring relevant issues concerning race relations in America, directed and co-written by acclaimed director Paul Haggis, and a Best Picture winner at the Academy Awards. Maybe Crash hasn't aged spectacularly, because for me at least, it doesn't seem to reach the same level of acclaim that it reached upon its release in 2004.

 

Being an ensemble drama, Crash has a lot going on and tells multiple stories during its runtime. One of the plots explores the racial prejudice of Jean Cabot and her husband, the local district attorney. Meanwhile, the film also follows the story of Detective Graham Waters and his lost brother, the life of Persian shop owner Farhad and his daughter Dorri, Hispanic locksmith Daniel Ruiz, television director Cameron Thayer and his wife Christine, the story of Anthony and Peter, as well as the tales of police officers John Ryan and Tom Hansen.

 

There is clearly a lot going on in Crash and such a vast number of storylines packed into one film has had mixed results. Because there are so many characters here, there hasn't been sufficient run time to get to know everyone in depth, to the point where it can be a struggle to even remember everyone's names. However, one of the greatest strengths to be found in Crash is that there are many shades of grey here, and there is no clear distinction between who is right and wrong - each character is afflicted with their own prejudices and everyone has their faults, regardless of their ethnicity. Even characters that appear more likeable to the audience, such as Tom, later shown that they are not wholly good. This really works in the film's favour to take a clear, unbiased look at modern American race relations.

 

Unfortunately, the individual stories that Crash depicts vary greatly in terms of overall quality and audience engagement. Firstly, the story revolving around Jean and her husband starts off well, with Sandra Bullock giving a great performance as Jean and her husband try to walk in another direction, once they see Anthony and Peter walking towards them. However, the conclusion to her character's story arc, with Jean finally apologizing for how mean she has been to her Hispanic housemaid, comes seemingly out of nowhere, and her character changes so quickly, that it doesn't feel believable. Another undercooked subplot revolved around Det. Graham Waters. While I now know that Peter was Graham's missing brother, I had no idea what was going on with his character when watching the film for the first time, and Graham's appearances throughout were so brief and, in my opinion, unclear, this subplot could probably have been omitted and you wouldn't be losing much.

 

If there's one character I definitely have mixed feelings towards, it's Anthony. Originally, I didn't take to Anthony as his constant remarks seemed to imply that literally everything was racist - to the point where he is saying that the windows on buses were only so big so that people could see how low black people had sunk to. What?! However, the actual conclusion to his story was certainly a satisfying one, as towards the end of the film, he is seen riding one of the supposedly "racist" buses, and actually does something to help a group of human trafficking victims.

 

Locksmith Daniel Ruiz is arguably the only character in the film that the audience can wholly sympathize with, and Crash showed brilliantly that the prejudice everyone held against him, of being in a gang, is completely false. One of the best scenes of the film is between Daniel and his young daughter Lara, in which he gives her an "invisible, impenetrable cloak" as it's a really heart-warming and touching moment. Daniel's rivalry with Persian shop owner Farhad also leads to another great and very dramatic moment, where it seems that Farhad may have shot Daniel's daughter. As for Farhad as a character, I don't really have an overall opinion on him. However, I have to say that many critics have raised a valid point about the poor depiction of his character as a: "Deranged, paranoid individual who is only redeemed by what he believes is a mystical act of God."

 

By far the best stories in the film, and ones that I wish had been focused on even more, are the ones of police officer John Ryan, and his relationship with Christine Thayer. When they first meet, John molests Christine under the pretence of a pat-down, something that has terrible consequences for both Christine and her husband. However, when Christine gets involved in a car crash, putting her life in terrible danger, John is the first officer on the scene, and becomes the one to pull her out of the wrecked car. The wrecked car scene is not only the best of the film, but also one of the most powerful cinema scenes I've ever seen. The scenes with both John and Christine on screen together really gripped me, and it was interesting to see how John could be someone who could commit sexual assault on Christine, then later save her life. Does that redeem him, even to a certain extent? It's a shame that there wasn't more drama and morality questions of this level in the rest of the film. Throughout this subplot, there are great performances from both Matt Dillon and Thandie Newton, and Haggis' already brilliant direction, accompanied with Mark Isham's great music score, make many key moments even more dramatic.

 

In conclusion, I don't really believe that Crash lives up to the critical hype that surrounded it in 2004. This is a difficult film to write about, because like every film I see, I want to enjoy it, and there are some moments of gold here. It isn't a bad film at all, but at the same time, it's arguably not deserving of a Best Picture win either. While there is a lot to like here, such as some wonderful music, direction, and particular subplots, there is so much going on throughout the film to the point where this brilliance is sadly compromised by undercooked subplots and a lack of much-needed depth to central characters.

 

Crash



5/10