Crash
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Brendan Fraser
The good: hugely dramatic
The bad: nothing really
Los Angeles, California sets the stage for a tearfully emotional human drama about the uneasy co-inhabitance of whites, blacks, Latinos, and Asians in Crash. The film is a brave and in-your-face portrayal of what happens down under behind the glitz and glamour usually associated with the city. Crimes, police harassments, discrimination, racial prejudice – all are fair game as the director skillfully weaves a tale of several interconnecting stories as they “crash” with one another.
It’s rare to see a film which sets out to showcase a touchy subject, especially a subject as touchy as racial harmony in, of all places, the racial amalgamation that is Los Angeles. Usually, movies that do attempt to take a sensitive issue as its subject matter takes a less than heroic path and dummies down the essential events or concepts so critical to that subject matter so that it won’t alienate the other side of the spectrum. However, when this happens, the film loses or drastically mutes the message it wanted to communicate. Thank heavens for the, I’m imagining, moon-like guts of the director, scriptwriter, and the whole production staff for presenting this sordid, but real, story in the manner in which it is most effective: brave and unadulterated.
At its very core, the film tells us that the stereotypes undermining Los Angeles -- white police brutality against blacks; Asians being preyed upon; black dominance on crimes; gangs and violence -- are actually there for a reason; that they do happen and they do exist. The important element though is that the characters are human. They have families, ambitions, personalities, and yes, even prejudices against one another. And with a cast featuring some of the best actors in Hollywood (both recognizable and unrecognizable) working with a honest-to-goodness script, the film strikes at the very heart of its viewers, evoking in them guilt and regret, happiness and joy, realization and deeper understanding.
Crash is a damn fine human drama. It tells its story and doesn’t skimp on any of the important elements. Definitely one of the best films of the year. (5/5)
The good: hugely dramatic
The bad: nothing really
Los Angeles, California sets the stage for a tearfully emotional human drama about the uneasy co-inhabitance of whites, blacks, Latinos, and Asians in Crash. The film is a brave and in-your-face portrayal of what happens down under behind the glitz and glamour usually associated with the city. Crimes, police harassments, discrimination, racial prejudice – all are fair game as the director skillfully weaves a tale of several interconnecting stories as they “crash” with one another.
It’s rare to see a film which sets out to showcase a touchy subject, especially a subject as touchy as racial harmony in, of all places, the racial amalgamation that is Los Angeles. Usually, movies that do attempt to take a sensitive issue as its subject matter takes a less than heroic path and dummies down the essential events or concepts so critical to that subject matter so that it won’t alienate the other side of the spectrum. However, when this happens, the film loses or drastically mutes the message it wanted to communicate. Thank heavens for the, I’m imagining, moon-like guts of the director, scriptwriter, and the whole production staff for presenting this sordid, but real, story in the manner in which it is most effective: brave and unadulterated.
At its very core, the film tells us that the stereotypes undermining Los Angeles -- white police brutality against blacks; Asians being preyed upon; black dominance on crimes; gangs and violence -- are actually there for a reason; that they do happen and they do exist. The important element though is that the characters are human. They have families, ambitions, personalities, and yes, even prejudices against one another. And with a cast featuring some of the best actors in Hollywood (both recognizable and unrecognizable) working with a honest-to-goodness script, the film strikes at the very heart of its viewers, evoking in them guilt and regret, happiness and joy, realization and deeper understanding.
Crash is a damn fine human drama. It tells its story and doesn’t skimp on any of the important elements. Definitely one of the best films of the year. (5/5)
posted by NaCl at Saturday, August 13, 2005
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