Crash
2004
****
Director: Paul Haggis
Cast: Matt Dillon, Don Cheadle, Thandie Newton, Ryan Philippe, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Thandiwe Newton, Ryan Phillippe, Larenz Tate
Paul Haggis, who scripted the terrific Million Dollar Baby, co-wrote his second directorial work with Robert Moresco. This wonderful collection of intertwining lives looks at the challenges of living in multicultural Los Angeles. The characters portrayed here are all flawed and prejudicial, and they can turn from victims to perpetrators in a blink of an eye. This drama flows smoothly from comic moments to moving dramatic set pieces, and the ensemble cast is great. The film has suffered a severe critical backlash since it won Academy Awards for best picture, screenplay, and editing. Admittedly, the film is didactic and heavy-handed in the way it deals with racism.
