Reviews of Crash

A Wreck

Posted : 1 year, 7 months ago on 15 May 2008 05:32 (A review of Crash)

I've wanted to see this film for ages, I have to say I was bitterly disappointed.
I had heard it was powerful, thought provoking and moving. Unfortunately I was left feeling angry at the overstated racial conflicts which are thrown into your face. Almost as if it had to be reinforced enough for fear of the audience ‘not quite getting it’. The film characters are explored by showing interlinking clips of their lives. By which the director thought that by connecting all of these hate filled hypocrites together the viewer will be convinced that the message is deep and clever.

The tag lie far the film is 'You think you know who you are. You have no idea.' Which is basically the synopsis of the whole film.
It follows a bunch of L.A cops around looking at their daily encounters and the civilians and criminals they come across. Just when you think there is someone likeable in the film they too fall prey to acting on racial stereotypes and prejudices, and vice versa those who are outwardly racist redeem themselves with outstanding acts of valour

If this films message was toned down and if it felt like it was trying less it would have been great and I feel would have had a genuinely powerful message. As it was, it left nothing to the imagination and I felt unable to identify or empathise with a single character, thus I felt little more than let down.


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[Film] Crash

Posted : 2 years ago on 11 December 2007 04:40 (A review of Crash)

A powerful film about racism. The story is both simplistic and complicated. As a parable, the story relies much on coincidences, which would seem contrived under normal circumstances but are used to great effect in the movie. On the other hand, the movie is sophisticated in its weaving together of different threads of lives and cultures colliding and crashing (literally as well as metphorically) into each other. Certainly nothing is simple about the complex motivations behind the prejudices of the characters and the way they interact with each other. The movie is not perfect in the artistic sense, but its raw, almost childlike, honesty is refreshing and effectively moving. What makes Crash so compelling is that while it is about the incredible rage of racism, the movie itself is never angry; it is about intolerance and its dire consequences, but it is also about hope and understanding. It's a film that makes you think while at the same time keeping you on the edge of your seat with suspense and tension, and that's a rare quality in today's movies.

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So Much Anger

Posted : 2 years, 6 months ago on 13 June 2007 12:47 (A review of Crash)

This is an interweaving of many people's stories. Most of them very angry people. Oh, they all have good sides, but mainly you see the anger. Racism seems to be the outlet for everyone's anger, but it seemed secondary to me. But I never felt empathy for any of these people, except the locksmith. Although the acting was good, and I thought Don Cheadle did an especially fine job. If you liked this movie you would probably enjoy Babel. I was just glad when this movie was over.

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Great Watch

Posted : 3 years, 2 months ago on 9 October 2006 02:01 (A review of Crash)

A gritty look at the racism rampant in the Los Angeles area, from doctors to the police to government officials to everyday people, this collection of separate, interconnected tales is a must watch. It is guaranteed to make you think.

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