Various characters and storylines collide in Los Angeles in Paul Haggis' Oscar-winning drama about racial tensions.
If I'm being honest I'm struggling to see how this got nominated for Best Picture in 2006, nevermind outright winning it. I was aware of how the reassessment of Haggis' film since its Oscar win had not garnered it any extra favour, but I thought there would still be something to justify some of the awards it received.
There's just absolutely no subtlety at all in how it conveys its messages. Every character's discussion of some element of racial tension is delivered like a sledgehammer to the skull. I often hear films being criticised as 'preachy' for how they discuss their messages and think it's unjustified. In this case it fits the bill perfectly.
This is a major problem that really hurts the storytelling, along with a bunch of characters who unfortunately just comes across as thinly-sketched stereotypes. They also tend to switch between 'good' and 'bad' sides of their personality which feigns genuine nuance or complexity for mostly one-dimensional people.
To top it all off it just ends quite suddenly and it really feels like not much has happened during the course of the runtime. If you're going to do a Magnolia-type ensemble the film needs to be longer to feel like the storylines have actually had enough development to justify the story you're telling. I'm not saying it has to be three hours like Magnolia, but I think having the runtime over two hours would help this film's case a little.
Case in point is the storyline involving Sandra Bullock's character Jean Cabot. Bullock is the highest-billed actor on every poster I've seen for Crash but she only has around five minutes of screentime. This takes up four or five scenes, and her perspective on her distrust of minorities changes so quickly. It's so rushed and is quite pointless in the grand scheme of the story.
There are some aspects which I can find positives for though. Most of the acting is pretty good, with Michael Peña, Thandie Newton, Terence Howard, Don Cheadle Matt Dillon, Larenz Tate and Jennifer Esposito all being convincing.
It's all competently shot, edited and scored, and there are some scenes of effective drama. One in particular involving Dillon's Officer Ryan abusing his power to stop Cameron (Howard) and Christine (Newton) is genuinely quite chilling.
Final Verdict
Whilst I feel Paul Haggis was trying his best to make a emotional drama, it unfortunately fails with its ham-fisted storytelling. It's the worst Best Picture winner at the Oscars I've seen so far, and I wouldn't really recommend seeking this one out.
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