Drama/Crime/Mystery
Crash
Click here to buy it now: Crash (Widescreen Edition)
Distributed by: Lion Gate Films
Reviewed by Ismael Manzano
It begins with a highway accident and ends with a bang, and in between is a
series of short stories that string together to form a poignant tale of
prejudice, misunderstandings and lives crashing into each other.
The movie follows, among many others—but probably most central to the storyline—Graham Waters (Don Cheadle), an African American L.A. detective with a misguided younger brother, an addict mother, and a Latina lover (Jennifer Esposito). The story starts off with a short scene involving Det. Waters, and leads into a carjacking scene that took place the day before. This simple violent crime sparks a chain reaction in the life of Det. Waters, the repercussions and subtle nuances of which he can not possibly imagine.
For example: the victims of the carjacking were District
Attorney, Rick Cabot (Brendan Fraser) and his wife. In an attempt to spin what he
fears will be a publicity nightmare—because the carjackers were black—Cabot,
decides to push for the promotion of a black officer to show that he is color
blind. The man he chooses is Det. Waters, who, is being pressured by his
superiors to suppress evidence in a shooting of another black cop that they
suspect was dirty.
And that’s just one example of the interlocking stories of the movie. Crash has many more similar tales like this, that show that every encounter has two sides and nothing is quite as black and white as it may appear at first. Another example is when a black television producer, gets pulled over by a frustrated cop and must endure prejudice and humiliation first hand. That frustration pushes him over the edge and leads him to a confrontation with the first cop's partner.
The movie is unique in that the protagonist of one story easily becomes the antagonist of another and vice versa, allowing for a multifaceted view of every character. Crash is a must see movie. It’s deep and meaningful, with a host of great actors and a no nonsense plot that cuts right to the heart of racism. It doesn’t preach or spout out useless platitudes, it merely shows the reality of life for some people, much the way the movie Grand Canyon did back in the nineties. Only this movie, unlike Grand Canyon, is not for kids. It’s a strictly adult movie, dealing with adult themes. Go out and rent or buy it today; you won’t be disappointed.
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