Crash (Widescreen Edition)

This is a great film which I would strongly recommend. It is actually a very brave film because it is willing to deal with the issues of racial tension, bias and stereotyping, and the violence that can result. There are several important themes and I want to comment on several of them. First, violence comes in many shapes. This film does a wonderful job of showing the range of violence. We see violence to self in an addicted African American mother who can't control her teenage son. We see homicidal violence when an Iranian almost kills a little Latina girl or when an off-duty Anglo police officer accidentally kills an adolescent African American car thief. We see everyday violence when an African American claims agent for an HMO refuses to help an elderly white man in pain because his racist son gets confrontive with her. We see deep long lasting violence as this police officer humiliates a wealthy African American TV executive and his wife, putting a strain on their relationship that could end their marriage. Sandra Bullock plays a cold upper-class woman who commits violence through class oppression and demeaning comments to her well-meaning Latina maid. A group of Chinese illegal immigrants are left for hours in a locked truck and are almost sold as slaves. A public relations campaign manager is willing to frame a white police officer for murder of an off-duty crack using Black police officer to make the district attorney look pro-Black by prosecuting him. Violence can be planned or spontaneous. Violence can be overt or covert. Violence can be against the body or the soul. Violence can be against an individual or a people. This film is full of violence, showing some of the roots and some of the consequences. Second, we resort to stereotypes when we are under pressure. Matt Dillion is almost crazy with concern for his elderly father in chronic pain who can't get proper services from his HMO, so he erupts at the African American claims officer and when he is shut off, he seeks revenge on a wealthy Black couple. Shaun Toub plays an Iranian shop keeper who when vandalized with anti-Islamic graphetti and loses his business, attempts to kill the Latino locksmith with whom he argued the day before. Ryan Phillippe pays a liberal police officer who panics and kills an adolescent Black delinquent he picked up as a hitch hiker. Third, life catches us sometimes at our best and sometimes at our worst. Matt Dillion and Terrance Dashon Howard are incredible actors as they show this in a white police officer and a Black TV executive. Dillion gropes Howard's beautiful wife after stopping them for no reason - demeaning the husband in front of his wife and demeaning the wife in front of the husband. However later, Dillion rescues the wife, Thandie Newton, from a burning car, putting his own life at risk. Howard absorbs the insult of seeing his wife groped but is driven to the edge by his TV show Director (Tony Lanza)and then finally goes over the edge when two Black car thieves try to car jack him. Ryan Phillippe is caught at his best, resisting his police partner's influence and calming Howard down when he has become homicidal with rage. Yet even Ryan, set up as a liberal clear headed hero, commits a terrible accidental crime becuase of snap judgement assumptions. Fourth, the film tells us we can be at our best when we work across the sterotype and attribute goodness and badness to individuals at specific points in time, not to entire lives and to entire races or peoples. I gave this film 5 stars for outright bravery.

Sometimes there is a reason for people to be angry; sometimes there is no reason for people to be angry. But anger, hatred, and evil, are all Entities that do not recognize the boundaries of color, religion, race, creed, sexual orientation, or social status. 'Crash' is one of the most powerful movies I have ever watched. The script doesn't miss a chance for picking on people because of exterior perceptions and stereotypes, and no one is exempt from the hate. The plotline is pretty much a day in the lives of many people, and how they can intertwine with the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. How many assumptions will you make, watching this film? Where does your "tolerance" begin and end? Rich or poor, no matter your color or religion, 'Crash' will spare no one the humiliation of being human. Aside from a script that asks more questions than it answers, 'Crash' is an exceptionally well-cast film with stellar performances, superb editing, outstanding photography, and enough insults to go around for everyone no matter where or what circumstances you come from. Sandra Bullock, who plays Jean Cabot, the DA's wife, has proven herself in both comedic and serious roles. Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) is perfect as Det. Graham Waters. His partner, Ria, (expertly played by Jennifer Esposito) is a strong female cop who clashes heads with Waters (among other things). Brandon Fraser as DA Rick Cabot gives a great serious performance in spite of the fact I always see him as George Of The Jungle. Thandie Newton gives her best performance to date in the role of Christine Thayer, movie producer Cameron Thayer's wife. Terrence Howard is simply amazing in the role of Cameron. Keith David (Requiem For A Dream) is excellent as always. Watch for a great performance by Ken Garito (Summer Of Sam, Clockers), an actor I will keep my eye on from now on. Ludacris and Larenz Tate are perfect as the roaming car-jackers. The real surprise comes from Matt Dillon. Perhaps he has never had a role challenge him before, but he absolutely shines in his role as Sgt. Jack Ryan. Absolutely Dillon's best performance. There are small cameo roles by Marina Sirtis as Shereen (yeah!) and Tony Danza as Fred (yuck!), but my hat goes off to the entire supporting cast of this amazing movie, along with director Paul Haggis. I would rate 'Crash' higher than five stars if I could. I think it's a movie everybody should watch, if only to judge your own reaction to it. Being an aficionado of horror, I find judgmental behavior based on anything other than how you are treated by other people more horrifying than the bloodiest of films. 'Crash' will make you think. Definitely worth a purchase. Enjoy!

Frau und Mann streiten sich. Wir wissen nicht, wo wir sind, wir wissen nicht, wer die beiden sind. Die Frau steigt aus dem Auto, der Mann folgt, die Kamera geht zurück und wir stecken mitten in den Nachwehen eines Unfalls. Kein größeres Vorspiel ist nötig. Willkommen in Los Angeles. Der zweite Kinofilm von Paul Haggis, dem Drehbuchautor von Million Dollar Baby, entstand 2003 und sah das Licht der Kinowelt erst in diesem Jahr. L. A. Crash ist einer von den Filmen, die dem Zuschauer das Gefühl geben, eine lange Durststrecke hinter sich gebracht zu haben. Endlich wieder ein Film, der von der ersten Minute packt und nicht mehr losläßt. Endlich. Es sind einfache Geschichten, die hier erzählt werden. Jeder Schritt ist nachvollziehbar. Um so härter ist es, sich diesen Geschichten zu stellen. Ausreden gelten nicht. Wir sehen alles und haben die Chance den Blick abzuwenden, dennoch sehen wir hin. Wir wollen das Spiel von Gut und Böse verstehen. Aber wie versteht man jemanden, dem das Wasser bis zum Hals steht und der auf Zehenspitzen balanciert und nach Luft zu schnappt? Nicht, daß wir uns falsch verstehen. Dies hier ist kein depressiver Film. Hier geht es um Hoffnung. L. A. Crash findet an einem Tag statt. Er erzählt Geschichten, die ineinander greifen wie Zahnräder. Auch wenn am Anfang die Stränge scheinbar unzusammenhängend wirken, werden sie elegant verbunden und zu einem großen Ganzen. Dabei ist nichts an der Idee berauschend neu. Wir kennen Magnolia und Go. Wir haben Short Cuts gesehen, uns überrascht nichts mehr. Und dann kommt ein Kanadier daher und erzählt uns von Menschlichkeit, von der Härte unserer Zeit und von der Angst, die sich wie ein Virus in unserer Gesellschaft ausgebreitet hat. Wir leben in Furcht, weil die Furcht in uns lebt. Dabei ist es egal, ob wir in Amerika, Patagonien oder hier bei uns zu Hause sitzen. Die Zeiten haben uns ängstlich gemacht. Das Casting hat große Namen, von denen keiner eine Hauptrolle spielt. Hauptrollen haben in diesem Film so viel verloren wie Kitsch oder Pathos. Jeder Charakter scheint sein eigener persönlicher Unfall zu sein, den das Leben zurückgelassen hat, als es mit 300 km/h in das neue Jahrtausend raste. Und weil es keine Hauptrolle gibt, dreht sich die Geschichte um jeden einzelnen von ihnen. Den Schauspielern scheint dabei die Seele seines Charakters ins Gesicht geritzt zu sein - Matt Dillon ist bitter, Don Cheadle hungrig nach der Gerechtigkeit und Sandra Bullock einfach nur verloren. L. A. Crash wirkt ausbalanciert und bei einer guten Balance sind große Effekte überflüssig. Und wenn sich zum Schluß hin ein Vorhang aus Schnee über Los Angeles legt, werden wir mit einer außergewöhnlichen Zufriedenheit zurückgelassen. Rob Grant hat geschrieben, Schnee wäre das Tippex der Natur. Besser hätte er es nicht treffen können. Der Schnee bedeckt die Fehler und die Häßlichkeit dieser Stadt. Er bringt sie zum Schweigen, und das Schweigen schlägt Wellen und die Stille geht auf uns über.

Excellent film

Flawless performances from an understated cast, yet the vignettes offer barely a few minutes screen time apiece and most have probably enjoyed several weeks build-up in fur lined trailers "in-character" before playing to the lens. Best performance? Take your pick, I won't be arguing, but for me Matt Dillon deserves the nod if only for the demonstrating just how far he has travelled since 90210 and THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT... The film is far from perfect, and not the accurate portrayal it was held to be. The issues are as raw as you'll find them, but the characters remain superficial throughout. We get to know OF them without getting to KNOW them. I'll suggest Haggis took an enormous risk - and won - hanging his hat on story in favour of depth. None become worthy people. All are deeply flawed and possibly only one deserves redemption by the time the titles roll. The film uses a well tried if complicated formula. Take a multiple of disparate characters and observe as they proceed in parallel toward the concluding common plot point where unrelated lives finally knit together. Use Pulp Fiction as your template, but there the similarity ends. This movie is best enjoyed completely unspoiled, so for synopsis you'll have to look elsewhere. Taking a break midway doesn't mean confusion, but missing even a single minute risks denting your appreciation of the complete work. The direction is fluid and cohesive, though there is visibly still too much gloss for this set of LA tales. Haggis styles-it-out like Michael Mann...when he feels up to it. Heat [DVD] [1995 ] While replete with epithets and stereotypes intended to flesh out the race based social commentary, I recommend Spike Lees "Joints" for cinematic accuracy on the American (because it is unique) race issue. Lee tells it like it is because he really was "there". Bold enough to tell white folks the truth. Honest enough to tell black folks the TRUTH. Highly controversial, often offensive, leaving no-one unscathed. Jungle Fever [DVD ] CRASH is class conscious, at times aloof and intellectual where it ought to be gritty ghetto. A "black" film for republicans? Unkind but valid. Haggis chooses race to steer the story carefully to his conclusion that our failure to understand each other is neither black nor white but human. We are equally capable of being exploited and of exploiting others. It's just a question applying sufficient motivation. CRASH saves its gilt-edged moment to the three-quarter mark, whereupon we are treated to a "SIXTH SENSE" revelation so solid that Haggis could have followed with dancing girls wearing Hitler fatigues and still not lost the Oscar. Speaking of which, it is obvious why folk regard the Academy Award as a steal. Brokeback Mountain [DVD] [2005 ]was the one THEY just couldn't vote for. Though I am yet to see Gylenhaal & Ledger, CRASH has too many vulnerabilities to have been assured victory in a straight punch-up. Ultimately the piece is bereft of character development, although due correction would turn this into the prelude to the long running franchise needed to fatten so many characters before your cinema ticket had run out. It remains simply brilliant story telling with no wasted footage. If you had read it, if someone recounted the way we did when video still meant Betamax, or you watched it unfolding scene by scene, it delivers its taller tale with clarity and with very few plot holes. It is exceptional entertainment that lands only metres short of art. Watch it for the first time and you'll be talking about it for days. Re-run the disc and it decends to a good night in, so much hinges on the plot revelations that you'll need to leave a lot of time before watching again to get the same buzz. Judged purely by what it is rather than what it tries to be, it remains my favourite of 2005 - no question.

Es una buena pelicula, no viene en español latino, pero viene con subtitulos.

Título de culto sin ninguna duda. Historias cruzadas que traspasan tu corazón. El racismo como nunca antes lo habías visto. Impresionante rescate del vehículo por Matt Dillon y la capa invisible antibalas. La edición es de buena calidad, el grano intencionado por parte del director seguramente para darle un tono más documental. Extras algo justitos comparados con la edición DVD, pero de imagen y sonido un 10. Cómprala ya! Está a un precio de fábula!