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Tuesday, 6 March 2007

Crash (DVD)

Starring: Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, a stack of other people

Rated: 15

Story: The lives of about a dozen people from a selection of ethnic backgrounds intertwine around each other (and car accidents) in Los Angeles.

Comments: This is a fast-paced drama which switches frequently between different characters and story-lines. The threads occasionally cross and there is plenty of tension but no over-riding arc to the story. The events of the script are there to explore the racial interaction of the characters and examine the differences between what they say to be politically correct, what they claim to believe and what they actually do when push comes to very big shove. The conclusions are never clear-cut since the characters are both complicated and sympathetic.

Perhaps the point is that we're all just people, often frightened and always flawed, and we all have our prejudices. Concern about being perceived as racist prevents open discussion of these racial fears and grievances, which merely perpetuates them.

Gripping. Only the implausibility of some of the chance meetings prevents it getting a 5.

Explosions: One
Provoked thoughts: Many.
Coincidences: Too many.
Headache from mental exertion: On-going.

Rating: 4/5

Labels: drama, film review