Crash

Part two of the Friday double feature: Crash.

This movie follows several characters and their lives in Los Angeles. It certainly focuses on race relations. It features quite a stellar cast. Don Cheadle is always good, gotta love (a racist) Sandra Bullock plus Brendan Fraser, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe, Matt Dillon and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges. Heck, even Tony Danza shows up.

The movie is difficult for me to summarize without giving up too much of the plot. And trust me, if you haven't seen this yet, you don't want me to give up to much of the plot! Suffice it to say, each of the major players is the victim and/or purveyor of racism in some way shape or form. At first it seems there are very few connections to all of them.

There is an incredible, moving and jarring point in the film in which the interconnectedness of these lives begins to show. From then on, the connections become clearer and are at times more rattling than the gunfire you'll hear.

I was constantly on edge throughout the film, it was that intense. For such a harsh and divisive subject, it is treated with care by Paul Haggis (who penned, along with this screenplay, Million Dollar Baby - by the way, if you have not seen this, you must!). Mr. Haggis certainly is no stranger to handling controversy.

Haggis wove in some touches of humor, most of them courtesy of Mr. Ludacris and Larenz Tate. There were also moments of laughter that made me a tad sad. There was certainly some lines that were inappropriate, but humorous. It reminded me of times where friends make a racist, sexist, homophobic or similar joke and everyone laughs. They usually contain some sort of stinging slur or stereotype. Those moments certainly inject even more reality into the film. Because it is comments like those that we, as a civilized, open and accepting people (I wish) would call out: "Hey, don't say that/laugh at that, it is hurtful/wrong/inappropriate."

Generally, this is one of those movies that is almost hard to watch, but while you are watching you know you need to keep going ... and hopefully learn something from it.

Last Words: You must watch it, I highly recommend it, I need to show it to my students!