The story is obviously implausible, the writing sometimes glib, but just as often it's smart and vivid and has the ring of truth.
Comment
05/06/05
Crash (2005)
75
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
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... [More]
Starring: Thandie Newton, Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, Michael Pena
Director: Paul Haggis
Reviews for Crash
101 - 120 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Audiences everywhere are about to find out how abominably off-putting an extended diatribe masquerading as an ensemble drama can be.
05/06/05
The lesson offered here seems geared toward those viewers who were surprised by the Rodney King video.
05/06/05
Its emotional lows and wicked below-the-belt punches make it a soul-searching film, a manipulative movie with a lot of stars and a writer-director staying on message throughout: We need to know each other better than this.
05/06/05
Haggis' pedantic tone and obvious characterizations make it seem like he's better off adapting other people's work than creating his own.
05/06/05
Crash isn't set half-a-century ago, in some place of dusty roads and Skoal-spitting sheriffs. It takes place now, in Los Angeles, that most modern of American cities.
05/06/05
Crash mercilessly apes Magnolia.
05/06/05
Exceptional performances and a powerful, multi-layered script make for simmering racial drama.
05/06/05
Contrived, obvious and overstated, Crash is basically just one white man's righteous attempt to make other white people feel as if they've confronted the problem of racism head-on.
05/06/05
If the setup often smacks of contrivance and coincidence, Haggis (in his directing debut) shows he's more than competent to balance the stories and give the film steamroller momentum.
05/06/05
Crash is almost machine-like in the way it parses out its screen time among its characters, its coincidence-laden plot dragging them along to events and situations with the certainty of Fate.
05/06/05
It's simultaneously shocking and riveting, but what makes this movie so mesmerizing is that it's never apparent where the actions of these characters will take us.
05/06/05
An ambitious and often wonderful movie, an expansive look at urban life -- the fractious, noisy whole of it -- filled with witty, biting and insightful writing.
05/06/05
Haggis bends back one full day to unravel the tangled threads leading to the crash, and, in turn, the tangle justifies the existence of his varied and polyglot ensemble.
05/06/05
Unfortunately, Bullock's much-ballyhooed performance verges on cartoonish, and worse, she's paired with Fraser, who couldn't be more inanimate if he was cast as a brick wall.
05/06/05
One of the finest American movies to engage our diverse richness and our casual and not-so-casual ethnic hostility.
05/06/05
Truthful, intelligent and likely to ignite many useful conversations.
05/06/05
Crash a beau avoir du contenu il n’est jamais moins que fascinant, rempli d’émotions et tout à fait divertissant.
05/06/05
I’m sure the filmmakers want it to start a dialogue about race, but this film has about as much racially unifying power as Rodney King.
05/06/05
A well-intentioned but obvious, often clumsy picture.
05/06/05
Latest News for Crash
November 02, 2009:
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August 30, 2008:
A film teeming with solemn recognition of the nasty complexities of living in a multicultural society, and much of what remains unspoken racially in America being neatly shoved under a complacent rug. 
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October 25, 2007:
Crash, Two Views: A testosterone-soaked LA, in a parable of male redemption forged on the backs of women. And, a high anxiety crash course, along the country's race and class divide.
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May 24, 2007:
Screenwriter Paul Haggis Enticed Back to "Bond 22"
If you liked "Casino Royale," (and who didn't?) you'll be happy to know that the screenwriting trio is now back in action for the 22nd Bond flick. More...
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