Crash

Thankfully, screenwriter Paul Haggis strikes gold again with his directorial debut “Crash” after “Million Dollar Baby”, here Haggis takes a turn into the realm of human collision in the decaying world of Los Angeles through many connecting and disconnecting characters. It is a location where Robert Altman (Short Cuts) and Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia) once told their own stories about healing and redemption.
Haggis has assembled a large, accomplished cast that includes Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Thandie Newton, and Ryan Phillippe. Amongst other things, this group virtually assures that the film will be seen. All are more than competent in their roles, and each does his or her best to enhance the two-dimensionality of the characters as they are presented in the screenplay.
The strength of “Crash” is that it deals intelligently with serious subjects. Racism is a hot-button issue, yet Haggis manages to approach it in a universal, reasonable manner. We don’t feel like we’re being preached to, nor does this seem like a sanctimonious “message movie.” The film’s numerous stories are tied together by a web of coincidence.
After all, how you can live in a town or large city and yet somehow you can feel disconnected with those around you? With that said, everyone has a story and everyone is connected, and the pleasure of a film like “Crash”, a wonderful story, beautifully performed and written, is that there is hope in this world, and there can be a future where all is redeemed and all is right.