Everyone's lives are connected in some fashion. At least that is what the central theme of this film is, and it rings as true as anything I have seen recently. Much like the film Pay It Forward, Crash relies on showing how even the smallest action that we take, can affect the people around us. This does not just include the people that we are close to, but the people that we interact with, the people that we see on the street, and even the people that we sit next to in a diner. Choosing to order the last piece of pie can alter what the next person has to eat, and that could mean nothing. But say for instance they order a sandwich instead, which contains something they are allergic to, and it kills them. We directly affected that outcome, whether we are conscious of what is taking place or not. What Crash attempts to show us, is that we can choose to know what those effects are.

With an all-star cast of Sandra Bullock, Brendon Fraiser, Matt Dillon, Ryan Phillipe, Don Cheadle, and Larenz Tate, just to name a few, we have here a character driven film crossing the lives of many people during 2 days in the city of Los Angeles. The story weaves in and out of the lives of these characters, and does a great job of showing us the emotions that they feel, and the personas that they each carry with them. Some of them are very jaded by their lives, some just go about their days, and others try to make a difference with the time that they have been given. We are given short back-stories on all of the main characters to start off the film, and then we are shown why these characters act and react the way that they do to events in their lives. We aren't told if their actions are good or bad, nor are we told what to think. Instead we are presented with actions and consequences of those actions, and left to decide what the redeeming qualities of these characters remain to be.

Crash isn't the type of film to just jump into the story and tell you what is going to happen next. Instead it is strongly character driven, and we enter into the lives of the characters before we are given their defining story. No particular character is given the spotlight for the film, because the Director's intent appears to be that no one person is worth more than the sum of his/her actions. Thus, we don't spend more than 15-20 minutes with each of the main characters as we are taken through the film. Although, as you sit there, you feel that these people have been on the screen the whole time, the stories are told in a fashion that allows may cross-overs in the paths of everyone involved. For an example, as someone goes through a door, you will see the door from the other side, but after the person steps through, you realize that the scene has shifted to a story involving completely different people. It is a great camera trick and does a lot to further the story, and make the stories mesh better.

One of the things with having so many important characters, is that sometimes it ends up over-shadowing the story. With so many big-name people, it wouldn't seem that there would be enough screen-time for all of them, and it would muddy up the intent of the movie. With Crash however, nobody is given that role that overshadows everything else. You come away with your favorite characters, but only because of their actions and not because of them being such a great actor. Hidden (or not so hidden depending on how you look at it) within the film is the fact that race plays such an important part in our lives. Though we don't realize it, decisions that we make, actions that we take, and thoughts that we have involve race, and this movies takes a stab at showing us where it can happen and we wouldn't even think that it was. Racism is looked at from all sides, hypocrisies are pointed out, and we are left with our previous ideas in shambles if the Director succeeds in showing you what he meant to.

This is a film where you are taught the lesson that nobody is immune to prejudice, and that nobody can escape their race, no matter how hard the may think they can. We are shown all sides of the coin, in the hopes that we think more about those around us, and less about what we think we know. There are times though, that I felt Crash failed to "wow" me in the fashion that I was hoping for when I walked into the theater. I expected to be moved, to be touched, to be blown away by imagery, and I didn't get what I wanted out of the film. Maybe it was the advertisements, or maybe I was expecting too much from the film, but I ended up walking out a little let down by the film, and I still find myself feeling that way the next day. I liked the film, but it didn’t' blow me away like I had hoped. I recommend seeing the film, because it is nicely written, and well acted. There are also quotes, and events that help make this film, but it isn't ground-breaking. There are themes that set it apart from our everyday box-office winner, and that is what makes this a great film to watch amidst the summer block-busters. It gains points for its character development, and for making us care about the characters, and that I why I recommend this film, and give it a rating of 4 stars.





Recommended: Yes