Writer/Director: Paul Haggis
Release Date: 2004
Genre: Drama
Run Time: 113 minutes
Certification: 15+
RRP: £14.99

***Who is Paul Haggis***
Paul Haggis is a new name to me which I am ashamed to admit because he is a fellow Canadian with a very impressive CV.

Previously, much of his work as writer, director and producer had been for TV with titles such as the Tracy Ullman Show, Thirtysomething, LA Law, The Love Boat, Due South and EZ Streets.

He took the leap into film in 2000when he wrote the script for the award winning Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank film, Million Dollar Baby. Last year, Haggis became the first member of the Academy to have written two Best picture winners (both Million Dollar Baby and Crash)back to back.

Crash of course has gained Haggis critical acclaim, six Academy awards, a SAG, a BAFTA, Critic's Choice and a nomination for the Director's Guild Award among many other honours.

In the future we should see further Haggis/Eastwood collaborations as he has written several other screenplays for the actor/director including Flags of our Fathers, Red Sun and Black Sand.

***What was the film about***
The film follows a group of people from diverse racial and social backgrounds as they go about their individual lives in LA over the course of two days. As the film unfolds, their lives, their actions, their preconceived judgements of others become intertwined and we see how our prejudices affect not only others around us but the world at large.

We meet a black detective caring for his drug addict mum and his criminal younger brother with racist beliefs of his own that he doesn't even recognise. We meet a racist white cop who abuses his position in the most heinous manner, though there is a surprising twist as the story continues. After work he then goes home to care for his sick and aging father and trying desperately to get his medical insurance to pay for treatment. We meet an upper class wife and her district attorney husband who believes in all the racist stereotypes. She thinks her concerns are justified when she is carjacked at gunpoint by two black men out of place in the largely white, rich part of town. We also meet a Persian shop owner and his family who resorts to buying a gun to protect his livelihood and plans to use it when his shop is broken into and ransacked and he is left with racist graffiti and a shop in total disrepair. An unexpected twist of fate causes him to re-examine his pre-conceived judgements. Finally we meet the stereotypical Hispanic gang banger look-a-like however it soon becomes obvious that this is a drastic misconception of who he really is as we meet his young daughter to whom he is devoted and determined to makes a better life for.

***Who was in it***
The cast is a mix of all star actors and lesser known, or B-list actors and the combination works extremely well. It is not always easy for an entourage cast to hold the viewer's attention in a film as there is often a power struggle between cast members to have more focus on them. I was amazed that there appeared to be not one ego amongst these actors as they each carried out their own parts and scenes impeccably without struggling for the spotlight. Perhaps this is a credit to the director of whom many of the films actors have praised for his ability to create a strong team atmosphere.

Detective Graham Waters - Don Cheadle
Don Cheadle is one of those actors that confirms a films status as quality. He played the brooding detective who has tried to ignore his colour in an effort to fit in well. He isn't an overly likeable character and yet as his day to day life unfolds in front of us, we feel sympathy for a man who discovers he has not gained acceptance from the world he has chosen to live in nor has he retained acceptance from the life he has effectively turned his back on.

Jean Cabot - Sandra Bullock
Sandra plays the kind of woman you expect to shout at waiters and taxi drivers who believes she is better than those of different social stature. She feels justified in harbouring prejudices and doesn't see the harm in voicing her opinions. Bullock plays the character as bitter whose hate and anger has turned her into a lonely woman let down by those she thinks are friends leaving her ironically with only those she has
looked down on for so long as dependable companions. This is a refreshing and outstanding performance by Bullock and one I expect her to be remembered for.

Matt Dillon - John Ryan
Dillon hasn't always played the most convincing parts but I was impressed with his performance in Crash. A particularly unpleasant, racist man who routinely abuses his position, in one case to molest and belittle a mixed-race woman at a routine stop, he is perhaps the least likeable character in this film. However, he manages to gain our sympathy and almost play the part of a hero as we see him fight against everything he believes to help his unlikely victim. We see a vulnerable side in Dillon as he helps his father struggle to the toilet in the middle of the night and again when after realising the error of his ways he tries to reconcile his actions at the end.

Ryan Philippe - Tom Hansen
Ryan Philippe plays John's partner who requests a new partner because he disagrees with his partners policing methods and integrity. Tom is a young, somewhat naive officer with a conscience which only takes him so far. Although he doesn't want to be a part of the kind of culture Officer Ryan breeds, he is not willing to jeopardise his position by making a stand. His apathy results in him becoming a part of the monster he tried to escape for his own gain. I have always been intrigued by Philippe. His part in this film is understated but will hopefully open up new opportunities from which he can shine in the future.

Thandie Newton - Christine Thayer
A mouthy, successful and well off mixed race woman, Christine's outspokenness lands her into trouble when a racist cop stops the car she and her black husband are driving in. The humiliation and her husband's unwillingness to fight back leave her scarred and she is later faced to readdress the issue when an unlikely hero comes to her rescue. Newton plays a feisty, strong woman and holds her own with ease amongst this all star cast.

Ludacris - Anthony
It seems the trend these days for rappers to take on film roles and I have to admit to not expecting much from Ludacris for that exact reason. I was quickly eating my words. As the intelligent carjacker with a social conscience, he played a blinder. He had some of the most intricate monologues in the film and I found myself captivated as he executed them with style and finesse. If any humour was to be found in this film, it came from Anthony who drove his partner insane with endless rantings about racial injustice. The irony is that he was perpetuating the stereotype of black Americans that he was so eager to destroy.

Michael Pena - Daniel
Daniel was the one truly likable character in this film. Although originally dismissed by Jean Cabot as a "Chicano Gang banger" He was in fact a kind, gentle and caring man who worked hard to give his wife and young daughter a better life away from the violence he had known. His world and his family are seriously and unjustly threatened in the most heart-wrenching fashion by circumstances beyond his control. Michael Pena played the mild-mannered, soft-spoken man to perfection. In particular, as he talks his little girl out from under the bed where she sleeps because she is afraid of being shot, he shows such tenderness that the viewer cannot help but be swept up in the fairy tale he tells her.

This is by far not an extensive list of the cast. Others who contributed and put in outstanding performances include Brendan Fraser as District Attorney Cabot, Shaun Toub as Fahed the shop keeper, Jennifer Espisito as Ria, Detective Waters, girlfriend and fellow detective and Keith David as Lieutenant Dixon.

***What I thought about it***
Crash had been a film I kept meaning to watch for some time but just never seemed to get around to it until my partner picked it up on a whim the other day. It isn't his kind of thing at all but as someone who enjoys films that revolve around character more than plot I quickly became engrossed in Crash.

The soundtrack matched the ever-changing mood of the film perfectly with a Donnie Darko inspired mix of symphonies, rap and gentle melodic songs. Not one for the car maybe, but ideal as an accompaniment to the film.

The script was extremely well written. It didn't shy away from any areas in fear of offending and equally, it managed to not over do it simply for shock value.

Often, films that jump back and forth between different scenes, different storylines or even different timeframes as this one does can get lost in the complication of it. At no point did I struggle to understand what was happening and to pick up the link that connects each scene. As a viewer your focus is held 100% throughout.

The characters were each incredibly believable which is frightening because as the film goes on you being to recognise either yourself or those close to you in their words. The commitment of the actors was completely apparent and they were the glue that bound the film together. I was particularly impressed with the manner in which the director managed to show so many dimensions to each of the characters. This is how we are in real life and yet it is rare to see it on screen. A Ku Klux Klan member may understandably be thought of as a bully, violent and hateful and yet they go home, kiss their wives, read their children bedtime stories and shed a tear at their daughters' weddings.

This film went along way to teaching us to examine our own belief system and to understanding our own double standards and more importantly, it showed us that there are two sides to every story and that judging anyone by superficial means can be a danger to us all. Ultimately, we need to open our eyes and ears and see and hear more.

***Trivia***
1. Heath Ledger was originally in line for the part of Officer Hansen
2. The Cabot house in the film is actually the director Paul Haggis's own house
3. Due to a small budget of $6m, Sandra Bullock paid for her own plane ticket to the set
4. John Cusack was originally cast as DA Rick Cabot
5. The song writer Bird York made a cameo appearance as a cop who handed Cheadle a report.
6. Kt Dixon has a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his office - as Governor of California, not the Terminator.
7. Haggis was inspired to write this film after being carjacked himself.

***Quotes***
Anthony: Come on now, this is America - time is money!

DA Cabot: Why do these guys have to be black? No matter how we spin this thing, I'm either gonna lose the black vote or I'm gonna lose the law and order vote!

Graham: F**K you very much. Thanks for your time.

Officer Ryan: You think you know who you are? You have no idea.

Anthony: Look around! You couldn't find a whiter, safer or better lit part of this city. But this white woman sees two black guys, who look like UCLA students, strolling down the sidewalk and her reaction is blind fear. I mean, look at us! Are we dressed like gang bangers? Do we look threatening? No. Fact, if anybody should be scared, it's us: the only two black faces surrounded by a sea of over-caffeinated white people, patrolled by the trigger-happy LAPD. So, why aren't we scared?

Peter: Because we have guns?

Anthony: You could be right.

Graham: Mum, I can't talk right now. I'm having sex with a white woman

Shaniqua: Ahh! Oh, my God. What the hell is wrong with you people? Uh-uh! Don't talk to me unless you speak American!