Thandie Newton Books

Isn't the main idea of a movie to ENTERTAIN, even if the film maker is trying to deliver a message or educate? Crash is not entertaining and I couldn't figure out the message (if there was one). Perhaps the message is that racism still exists in America. So who doesn't know that already? There were too many characters in this movie and no hero or person that we could identify with. What WERE the critics thinking? Makes you wonder sometimes how the critics can sometimes be so far out of touch with what the public likes. Makes me begin to wonder why we even listen to the critics, as they too often get it wrong. This is another one of those soulless movies that critics seem to adore (such as No County for Old Men, another waste of time). Not even the big stars can rescue this stinker. Did anyone read the script before they agreed to be in this? Amazes me that this is one of the most rented movies from Blockbuster. For a movie that tries to connect the lives of characters, Babel does a much better and more plausible job.

Many lessons of life which expertly come together at the end. Don't miss it. It just may change your views a bit.

Two black men hold up a wealthy white class couple and steal their car. Another couple, this time black, gets pulled over by two white policeman. One of the policemen victimizes the woman and later in the story heroicly saves her from a car accident. It's tear dropping. In another life, there is a black detective that gets involved in a racy case about a white male cop who supposedly shot some black men without good reason. That same detective receives a promotion just because he's black, which helps bolster the political reputation of a white man's dream. These episodes obviously point at black men as the spark behind illegal circumstances called crime. To demonstrate blacks in film as the catalyst behind rapid crime rates is like blaming that person right in front of his face; and he's paying for it.

This film is an in-your-face, contrived, waste of celluloid. What became of subtlety? We all know that race is an issue in the United States, but do we really need it spelled out in such a tawdry manner? Are people so morally dubious that nuance escapes them?

The worst part of this film is how it delights in its own over-the-top coincidences. As if you are blown away by the profundity. Such idiocy goes so far that the actors are forced to pervert their skills in a sad attempt to salvage some sinking realism. One scene, where Ryan Phillipe shoots an unarmed black man, is particularly galling. In this lame scene, Phillipe is forced to abandon the development of his character completely and give in to the politically correct message being shoved down the viewer's throat. It is absurd and obscene!

Do I sympathize with some of the important issues discussed in this film? Of course. However, if your idea of portraying important issues involves bludgeoning the audience over the head in such a blatant manner, then the message is bound to fail, or worse, infuriate.

My only thought as I finished viewing this film: What a blown oppurtunity.

There are few movies in life that are "experiences"~ where the audience does not walk out of the theater, but staggers out. "Crash" is one of those rare gems that always haunts the imagination, because it does crash into all of us. I had no desire to watch this film, but relented simply because it won the Oscar. I saw every other movie nominated that year, and none come close to "Crash": it is a story of race, redemption, anger, awareness, and ultimately, the neighborhoods we live in. In the slightest of roles, Tony Danza captures the gritty reality of race expectations. His minor role is a snapshot of the other players in the film (Sandra Bullock as a snotty bitch?? Beautifully played....)

This film not only should bask in the glory of the Oscar, but move onto AFI's top 100 movies of all time. Yeah, it's that good.