LaFountaine

“Crash” Movie

On Tuesday I saw the movie “Crash”, which starred: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Thandie Newton and Brendan Fraser.

The storyline involved the following: “Detective Graham Waters (Don Cheadle) and his partner Ria (Jennifer Esposito) get into a car accident en route to investigate a murdered body found in a canyon overlooking Los Angeles. Ria is ready to snap necks, but Graham explains, ''It's the sense of touch……I think we miss that sense of touch so much that we crash into each other just so we can feel something.'' He ain't kiddin'. Crash begins at the end, after 24 hours that have not only irrevocably changed Graham's life but also the lives of several other L.A. denizens who have inadvertently collided with one another. We go back to the previous day and meet an angry Brentwood housewife (Sandra Bullock) and her D.A. husband (Brendan Fraser), who have their car stolen at gunpoint by two carjackers (Larenz Tate and Chris ''Ludacris'' Bridges); a paranoid Persian store owner (Shaun Toub) who tangles with a kindly Mexican locksmith (Michael Pena); a rookie LAPD cop (Ryan Phillippe) and his veteran partner (Matt Dillon) who harass an affluent black couple (Terrence Howard and Thandie Newton) and then later, ironically, save them in separate, hair-raising incidents. Black and white, victim and aggressor, there doesn't seem to be a right or a wrong as things escalate and culminate. The only common thread is the fact that life is too short to be filled with fear and intolerance.”

I give the movie a “B”, and the movie is worth the price of an admission ticket, a large popcorn and a small soft drink. I thought the subject matter of the movie was effective at making a message, but there were no clear answers. It’s a good movie to see and think about.

posted by Frank LaFountaine @ 10:12 AM