I went to see recently released Crash this week, I wanted to review it for Mystery Movies column since it is a cop and mystery movie of sorts. You all know that I am usually not at a loss for words, but this movie has so much going on I just can't get a handle on it. It was definitely not what I expected. The basic premise is that we often make decisions based on ethnicity or skin color before looking beyond that, and when we do look past the obvious, we still have problems with our perceptions. The race relations (or non-relations) you see here are raw and ugly. Intolerance, bigotry, anger, distrust, fear, nationalism at its worse, you name it, it's shown in Crash. I think that some of the characters were over-the-top stereotypical, but that is the point.

This is not a feel-good movie, but it is a powerful movie. There is something about it that won't let you walk away--there is the scene where LAPD police officer (Matt Dillon) who had earlier searched a woman (Thandie Newton) in an inappropriate manner, comes to her rescue when she is in an auto accident. The interaction between these two during this second encounter is very moving. Newton's husband in this movie is hot star Terrence Howard as a quiet man caught in the middle; the audience is surprised when his anger explodes. The movie is excellent, but it is also disturbing and unsettling. I came away feeling quite uneasy. Still, this is one of those movies that I will definitely buy for my collection when it becomes available on DVD.

The large cast includes: Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Esposito, Larenz Tate, Loretta Devine, William Fichtner, Ludacris, Michael Pena and more. Tony Danza appears also. I would not be surprised if director Paul Haggis, who is also responsible for the story and the screenplay, receives an Academy Award nomination later. Don Cheadle is one of the producers of this excellent movie.

This movie is rated 'R' in the U.S.


Classic Mystery & Suspense Films from Amazon