Crash (2004)

Directed by: Paul Haggis | 123 minutes | drama, crime | Actors: Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Ryan Phillippe, Jennifer Esposito, Thandie Newton, Karina Arroyave, Dato Bakhtadze, Art Chudabala, Sean Cory, Tony Danza, Keith David, Loretta Devine, Ime Etuk

‘Crash’ has several elements that work in the film’s favor: an eclectic cast of strong acting actors; a courageous approach to the (unfortunately) still relevant theme; and a script, co-written by director Paul Haggis (who previously penned the hit film ‘Million Dollar Baby’), which contains a lot of drama and conflict situations. In short, get the Oscars ready.

Well, of course it’s not that easy. That is, those Oscars could well be in the offing, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to fault about the film. The aforementioned strengths of the film certainly lift the film above the average, but at the same time the film seems a bit overambitious in its execution, making the central message weaker rather than stronger.

The film follows different sets of characters, from all kinds of races and classes. These people all face or are guilty of racism sooner or later in the movie (usually early). This last aspect in particular seems to capture the essence of the film. In fact, Haggis is saying that everyone is racist to some degree or can be driven by certain “circumstances” into expressions that can be interpreted as such. Racism can have various manifestations and causes, which are explored in the film. The agent played by Matt Dillon seems to be one of the biggest racists in the film. However, his hatred or envy does have an origin as we notice late in the film. The (black) criminal played by Ludacris constantly criticizes white people, but Asians and even his own “colormates” are not safe from his disapproving statements. But this is not about pure hatred; rather for a way of self-preservation. Especially at the end of the film, when he has helped a bunch of Asian refugees while and after which he calls them a goofball, his racist slogans turn out to be more habit than ideology. The smile as he gets into his car after his good deed shows that he is aware of this himself.

The film can best be seen as a parable, or rather a story in which everything is in the service of the central idea to be communicated, and in which it does not matter whether some plot developments or accumulations of behavior appear unrealistic. If you don’t do this, you as a viewer could have a problem with the suggestion that (practically) everyone is a (potential) racist and that people of different races do nothing but fight each other all day long. Still, it is difficult to focus purely on the thought behind the various vignettes and not to be distracted by the rhetoric used. Because, the message itself may be that racism has many facets and nuances, the way in which this message is conveyed is by no means subtle. It often becomes clear shortly after we see a bunch of (new) characters what it will turn out to be and what conflict situation will arise. Or the situation arises immediately. We see a collision and immediately a Latina who, in a racist way, is swearing at an Asian woman and vice versa. Or a Persian man who is mistaken for an Arab when he confers with his daughter while he is buying a gun, and is snapped at by the salesman: “Yo Osama, plan the Ji-had in your own time”. It just gets a bit tiresome at some point. Part of the problem is that there are so many characters to shape. As a viewer, you don’t spend enough time with them to get to know them well beyond their racist tendencies or circumstances. Each character is defined by the role racism plays in his or her life, which sometimes leaves a lot to be desired.

That said, the independent scenes are often still quite powerful and impressive. The moment Agent Matt Dillon arrests black Thandie Newton and her husband (because she fellatio on him) and gropes Newton, while her husband does nothing to preserve his own reputation (as a respectable TV director) and not let the situation escalating is painful to watch and anger-inducing. The scene in which Ryan Phillippe tries to calm down the same man in a later highly flammable situation is particularly exciting. And one of the few tender moments takes place in the bedroom of the good-natured Mexican locksmith’s daughter, when he gives his daughter an invisible cloak to protect her from evil in general, and flying bullets in particular. The moments between father and daughter here are pure magic.

It is a pity that the film as a whole lacks something to fully convince. Perhaps the film would be better suited as a miniseries, where there is less of an accumulation of similar situations, and each story can come into its own in its own way. Anyway, the movie is definitely worth watching. The acting is classy, ​​individual scenes are often particularly well shot, and the message is relevant and valuable. Oscars or not, ‘Crash’ manages to touch the viewer and make them think. Nobody can object to that.