Crash
November 2005 Reviewed by: Marc Mickelson Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Two visual mediums invented in the 20th century -- television and motion pictures -- are influencing each other to a great degree in the 21st. More and more, TV shows resemble movies in their look and construction, and vice versa. Crash is an ambitious movie by first-time director Paul Haggis, who also wrote the screenplay. Haggis is an experienced writer, having penned episodes of many TV series and the script for the Oscar-winning film Million Dollar Baby. Crash reflects his understanding of both film and television. It has TV's pacing -- with scenes that aim at producing dramatic impact, not developing multi-faceted characters -- and, unfortunately, TV's ambitions, too. While it shoots for the big payoff, it communicates little more than a simplistic understanding of its main subject: racism. It's a tightly directed miss, and a missed opportunity.

The movie begins in a clumsy way -- with a spoken explanation of its title. This is delivered at a crime scene where Los Angeles detectives who are also lovers (Don Cheadle and Jennifer Esposito) have gotten in an auto accident. The action then backs up and we're shown how the movie gets to this point, introducing in the process over a dozen characters of different races who lack the subtlety and dimension necessary to be convincing as people. Matt Dillon plays a hard-nosed cop with a sick father; Sandra Bullock plays a fearful D.A.'s wife; Terrence Howard turns in the best performance as an ambivalent TV director. Throughout the movie, each has a brush with racism, and each proves to be angry, frightened or mean-spirited in its presence. Crash is tied off in a tidy way, which will appeal to some viewers, but lacks the grit of reality. Though Crash deals with a very real subject, its treatment of it is contrived, and this undermines the attempt to deliver a weighty message.

The DVD has a fine image -- colorful but not overly crisp, with film-like contrast. The movie has a distinctive, dreamy look that the DVD captures well. Extras include commentary by the director and producers, behind-the-scenes footage, a music video, and trailers. Also included is the director's introduction to the DVD, which is literally that -- a ten-second "thanks for watching" message. I was hoping for a ten-minute talk on the film itself.

Crash has garnered plenty of critical acclaim, but there are much better films about the complexities of living in Los Angeles -- Short Cuts and Grand Canyon -- and racism -- Do the Right Thing. These are among my favorite movies on DVD, which is why Crash came to me for review. My recommendation would be to see the others before renting Crash, and if you're still interested afterwards, turn on your TV instead.

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