Crash (DVD)

...touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something…….

Crash is the haunting tale of a group of mixed race people living in Los Angeles whose lives become extraordinarily linked because of a host of coincidences that happen in one night. A car crash and the brutal murder of a young black American sends Ria -a white Porto Rican- and Graham -an ageing afro American- into a dark world of politician corruption, ...
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Crash is a sublime tale of prejudice and faith, hope and fear, life and death that transcends its issues by showing real people in real situations. It is a story about searching for your identity, the invisible and fragile bonds that connect society and the line between good and evil. It's a film of both epic and tiny proportions closely examining the human conscience, what it means to be a human -and what humanity actually is- ... more

It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something…….

Crash is the haunting tale of a group of mixed race people living in Los Angeles whose lives become extraordinarily linked because of a host of coincidences that happen in one night. A car crash and the brutal murder of a young black American sends Ria -a white Porto Rican- and Graham -an ageing afro American- into a dark world of politician corruption, where white politicians resent the place of the black community and sexism is rife. Rick is a major politician in the Los Angeles area, but when one night he is walking through town with his wife Jean and is attack by two young black teenagers, his home life is plummeted into paranoia as Jean has to fight with the consequences of her prejudice. Officer Ryan on the pretence of pulling them over for speeding, pulls a black couple over and forces his college to make the man watch helplessly as he sexually assaults her. After driving back home the victim Christine finds it difficult to look her husband in the eye as he didn't help her and watches helplessly as her marriage slowly starts to fall apart, little does she know though, that the very person who caused the end of her relationship may be the one to offer her the ultimate salvation. The two black teenagers who attacked the mayor and Jean rome the streets painfully aware of the looks they get in the predominantly white neighbourhoods, but both go through journey's of enlightenment and discovery, but one comes to a grizzly end.

Crash is a sublime tale of prejudice and faith, hope and fear, life and death that transcends its issues by showing real people in real situations. It is a story about searching for your identity, the invisible and fragile bonds that connect society and the line between good and evil. It's a film of both epic and tiny proportions closely examining the human conscience, what it means to be a human -and what humanity actually is- and the dangers of xenophobia with shocking, stark honesty. Crash is terrifying as well as strangely uplifting because of its compellingly raw narrative, incredibly well formed characters and exceptional performances from the ensemble cast. The Academy Award winner is wonderfully contempory with a spiky wit that should feel out of place in such a deep drama, but only helps to build the movies steam roller pace and punchy emotional hits, the screenplay feels fit to wildly swing between characters and situations with real things to say, real idea's to put forward and a real intelligence that gives the varied and talented cast some amazingly rich source material to work from. It is not a film that pretends that there are any easy answers and doesn't pose that it has any answers at all, but to its extreme credit, it has enough conviction and courage to search for truths in the darkest of areas, to find positive in the most devastating of human actions, to wish for a brighter tomorrow and to step forward when other, paler pictures would sulk away in the corner. Paul Higgins -who penned the equally effecting Million Dollar baby- has such a keen ear who urban dialogue and talent for crafting plots that his narrative is just breathtaking and engaging, for such a heavy film, I was surprised at how absorbed I became in his world and was thoroughly moved by the complicated, inspiring, emotional finale. A triumph of modern movie making, probing, intriguing, mesmerizing and haunting it fully deserved its best picture win no matter what people say.

Perhaps Crash's most astonishing aspect is its massive array of realistic, striking and intelligent characters that really do make a connection with the audience. Each one is wildly different, with individual opinions and faiths but are inexplicable linked, their interactions are completely entertaining and crazily informed, their dialogue tailor made for each one and they are all beautifully three dimensional. No-one is as they first seem villains turn into heroes, people in the darkest places find enlightenment, criminals search for redemption and the self righteous fall from grace which gives the film a real edge that perfectly balancing the harsh light of day that the script presents. Another amazing aspect of the film is the confidence and ease in which the screenplay plays around with time, the narrative sprints from pasts to present and from character to character with gleeful abandon. This makes a small proportion of the film a little confusing but allows the characters to be part of each others lives in unexpected and shocking ways. It also gives the film a mystery element that will undoubtedly keep you hooked; using such varied time frames also means that the film eventually becomes a fascinating study of cause and effect, constructing a chain of events that does have both incredible and dire consequences. About ten minutes before the final frame the plot elements fit into each other with such grace and realism that you may just forget you are watching a film as apposed to a documentary. Again a lovely aspect to the production in the enchanting examination of what it means to be a hero, it poses intriguing questions about heroic deeds -can they ever be selfless? If so what drives people to become 'have a go heroes' when others would simply walk away?- and crafts a really brilliant insight into how different people react when put under extreme situations. Crash is a brave film, with bold character development that pulls you in, some really fresh ideas that will make you -or rather it did certainly me- think about things in a different way and a really important, unique narrative that simply won't let you out of its grip.

On the performance front Crash is in my opinion near on flawless. Sandra Bullock really surprises with her portrayal of Jean, the upper class white housewife who has to struggle with the repercussions of her prejudice and the effects of her unfulfilled dreams. Bullock really does put some raw emotion into her role, with a real finesse and confidence in front of the lens, she has a grace and inner strength that really shines through and when she hits an emotional stride she really does some incredible work. Also as impressive is the recent BAFTA winner Thandie Wilson who again puts in an emotional performance as Christine, a women struggling with the hatred she feels towards her husband as he watched her be sexually assaulted. It truly is a power house performance that hits like a sledgehammer, her pain, her anger; her shame really comes across in a more than just affecting performance. Don Cheadley really is stunning as Graham the cop struggling to fight the inherent racism of the American judicial system; he is perfect at playing the tired, jaded detective with sensitivity and strength and has a real screen presence. Matt Dillon is probably given the hardest role to pull off, the first thing we see him do is sexually assault an innocent bystander but to his credit, he really does bring the character full circle with a really competent, intelligent performance.

Many movies centring around one particular issue or idea quickly become preachy or one track minded, often they stick to delivering a message at the expense of intricate plots and striking character development. Directors become so fixated on hammering through an ideal that the emotional journey takes a backseat and you end up with a production that has something to say, but not the finesse and style to say it effectively. Because Crash is so brimming with life this rather large pit fall is avoided gracefully with snappy writing and more than just one issue that it wants to try and represent. Whilst watching it I never felt that I was being preached to, but the film did make me think and informed my opinions hugely, I found watching it an educational experience and came out of it with a fresh look on racism in contemporary America. Because the script never imposes its own opinions on the audience, we are allowed to develop our own ideas as the form offers more aspects for us to mull over.

Crash is simply hypnotising thanks to the very neutral visual style, dark blues envelope the sets in mystery and pain, adding a great depth to the film, deep reds appear to shock the audience and yellows offer enlightenment and relief. Dark rain falls from the blackening sky as the big black UVs run through the roads, their windows blacked out and doors firmly locked. Long shots of L.A a glow with bleak lights that illuminate the darkness those offer some hauntingly well paced moments of silence, as the rousing opera plays in the background and the lens slowly drifts from one characters life to the next.

Overall I believe that it is one of the few highlights in the Academy awards history that Crash won the best film Oscar this year, the establishment didn't bow under the hype of Brokeback Mountain and I believe picked the best movie. Crash really is a marvel of cinema, go and se it.

DVD Features

Introduction by Paul Higgins: This is a really silly and wholly unnecessary feature that is just basically as the title suggests, it lasts around 15 seconds and consists of the writer director saying 'This is Crash'

A Commentary By Paul Higgins, Don Cheadley and Bobby Moresco: I found this really, really interesting, Paul Higgins came off as a really intelligent compassionate person who offers a mine of insight on the production of the film, the struggle he had to get it made and his experiences directin for the first time. Cheadley spends most of the commentary raving on about Higgins screenplay and directing style, however he has a warm approachable persona that really come across.

A Making Of Featurette: This isn't the longest featurette that I have ever seen, but has surprisingly good production values and some real insight into the amount of sheer work that goes into making such a complex probing film. All of the cast seemed to get on with each other well, and the comparison between first takes and finished product are astounding.

Theatrical trailer: this is just you average trailer that only hints at the depth and intelligence of the actual film.

Music Video For Into deep: I enjoyed this, a haunting, slowly paced tune that suits in with the film.

Price: £12.99 ASIN: B000ATJKM0 

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