“Crash” is a story that focuses on racism and how all cultures are intertwined with one another. The movie is filled with diverse characters: Blacks, whites, latinos, asians, the rich and the poor. Directed by Paul Haggis, who won an Academy Award for “Million Dollar Baby,” the film brought to life the issues of racial tolerance in today’s American society.
This movie is unique and riveting and calls the audience to think and challenge themselves when it comes to judging people. Beyond the issue of race and color, we’re all the same. We’re all human. “Crash” brilliantly brings these diverse characters together in a powerful way. It is unpredictable, unlike any other movie. It’s captivating and leaves you at the edge of your seat for the whole 100 minutes.
The movie starts with a crime scene and the scenes to follow are of the day before that lead up to it. A racist cop, Matt Dillon, mistakes a black woman for a white woman and demeans her in the process as her husband, Terrence Howard, watches powerless. After the D.A.’s wife, Sandra Bullock, gets robbed she changes all the locks at her house, but then decides to change them again after she thinks that the locksmith will have his “homies” come and break in later. Little does she know, that locksmith has a family of his own and moved to a safer neighborhood to better his children. All these characters are connected in one way or the other. Racial stereotypes fly all over the place in this movie and one can’t help but nod in agreement at some point or another.
Haggis makes you care for these characters. You are emotionally drawn to them. “Crash” is reality. The sad truth is that things that happen in the movie, probably really do happen in real life. We are asked to question ourselves when it comes to racism. This movie made me question my own belief system.
“Crash” is beautifully written and directed. The all-star cast of actors and actresses deliver top-notch performances. “Crash” shows the power of racism and consequences. A great movie makes you question yourself and your assumptions and to open your eyes. And this movie did it 100%.
July 6, 2008 at 8:02 pm
This movie sounds like an interesting choice for this assignment, but you need to be more specific in your analysis. I haven’t seen the movie (and, in a movie review, that’s what you should assume about your reader). I don’t know what you mean when you say racial stereotypes fly all over the place, or when you say the things that happen could happen in real life.