Few films are as daring. Few films this year are as deserving of your attention.
Crash (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:194
Fresh:146
Rotten:48
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: A raw and unsettling morality piece on modern angst and urban disconnect, Crash examines the dangers of bigotry and xenophobia in the lives of interconnected Angelenos.
Theatrical Release:12-08-2005
Synopsis: A Brentwood housewife and her DA husband. A Persian store owner. Two police detectives who are also lovers. A black television director and his wife. A Mexican locksmith. Two car-jackers. A rookie... A Brentwood housewife and her DA husband. A Persian store owner. Two police detectives who are also lovers. A black television director and his wife. A Mexican locksmith. Two car-jackers. A rookie cop. A middle-aged Korean couple… They all live in Los Angeles. And in the next 36 hours, they will all collide… A provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial conflict in America, CRASH is that rare cinematic event - a film that challenges audiences to question their own prejudices. Diving headlong into the diverse melting pot of post-9/11 Los Angeles, this compelling urban drama tracks the volatile intersections of a multi-ethnic cast, examining fear and bigotry from multiple perspectives as characters careen in and out of one another's lives. No one is safe in the battle zones of racial strife. And no one is immune to the simmering rage that sparks violence - and changes lives... Funny, powerful, and always unpredictable, CRASH boldly explores the gray area between black and white, victim and aggressor…and finds no easy solutions. The dynamic feature directing debut of Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Paul Haggis, CRASH stars Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe and Larenz Tate, from a story by Paul Haggis and a screenplay by Haggis and Bobby Moresco. CRASH is produced by Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle, Bob Yari, Mark R. Harris, Bobby Moresco and Paul Haggis. [More]
Starring: Thandie Newton, Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, Michael Pena
Starring: Thandie Newton, Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, Michael Pena, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Esposito, Brendan Fraser, Larenz Tate, Ludacris, Ryan Phillippe, Terrence DaShon Howard, Shaun Toub
Director: Paul Haggis
Director: Paul Haggis
Screenwriter: Paul Haggis, Robert Moresco
Producer: Cathy Schulman, Don Cheadle, Bob Yari
Composer: Mark Isham
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Reviews for Crash
An already over-eventful narrative -- what, another crash? -- teeters into melodramatic implausibility.
An engaging, provocative and thought-provoking drama with an intelligent script and terrific performances from its ensemble cast
Feels perhaps a bit too much like Magnolia for its own good. But it's a solid film about seriously important issues.
Compelling, brilliant, gripping, funny, constantly surprising - this is everything cinema should be. Go see, go see.
A haunting, perceptive and uncompromising examination of controversial subject matter, expertly written and directed by Paul Haggis and characterised by excellent performances from its starry cast.
Obnoxious, hollow, and not at all as smart or important as it thinks it is.
Film constructed of wild coincidences. A throwback to stodgy liberal melodrama of the 1960s like "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". Says zero about the social and economic realities of LA that breed racism.
a corny Hollywood attempt at a social problem drama, well acted enough to recommend
And so Crash raises the question: If racism is so pervasive in our society, why do we need such an elaborately contrived plot to drive home the message? In other words: How many racists does it take to screw in the point?
Everything feels pat, and the result leaves you feeling a bit cheated.
Americans from radically different backgrounds are brought together by a grim serendipity in Paul Haggis's frustrating directorial debut.
The L.A. of Crash is a distorted scale model of the city that [writer-director Paul] Haggis treats as if it were the city itself.
Enjoy the wonderful performances by a cast very committed to the cause.
[The actors] can't quite make Haggis' preachy puppet show feel entirely organic, but they certainly take some of the glare off of the strings.
Exceptional performances and a powerful, multi-layered script make for simmering racial drama.
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August 30, 2008:
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May 24, 2007:
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