Crash

There are certainly a few scenes that get under your skin and make you shudder, but as a whole it’s too contrived, too "for effect" (in this respect I experienced the same feelings at the turning point in Haggis's other film Million Dollar Baby), too many coincidences that I found hard to accept, unbelievable behaviour of some of the characters. I didn’t buy it... (30/10/2005)

There are two free seats on the bus, one of them is next to a white guy, the other is next to someone with brown skin. Where would you sit? This film answers this and similar questions, hinting at the circumstances that lead to them. Is it racism or avoiding a risk from fears based on previous negative experiences? An often unnecessary but quite logical price of mixing nations together. (09/04/2009)

A brilliantly filmed and acted mosaic of human destinies with the central motif of the problematic coexistence of different races, cultures, and value hierarchies amid a modern multi-ethnic American metropolis. The excellent, well-crafted screenplay does not present issues of racial prejudice and conflicts simplistically and straightforwardly. It does not cheaply moralize and, through characters of various social and professional backgrounds, it speaks of the fact that nothing may be as it appears on the surface and that good intentions sometimes are not enough... It speaks of social isolation between the cream of the crop of society and the ordinary "lower class," of the cynical calculations with which politicians approach public administration issues. It does not favor whites or blacks, it only records the screenwriter's observations and feelings of fear of life in an overcrowded metropolis. The screenplay attracted significant attention among the American acting elite and, despite a severely limited budget, still obtained a strong, practically star-studded cast. Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, and Matt Dillon took on roles in the film as an excellent chance to shine in an artistically demanding film, which they rightly expected to be successful. For Paul Haggis, Crash was his directorial, screenwriting, and producing debut and instantly placed him among the recognized filmmakers of today. For me, Crash was one of the greatest cinematic experiences and one of the most significant films of the last decade. Overall impression: 95%. (25/11/2007)

Overall, pretty ordinary stories of ordinary people (read typical Yanks of all three races), but they are presented with quite good directorial skill and interesting work and narrative style, making Crash an engaging film that can grab and not let go. There is only one point and fairly simple, there is more or less no story, but the A-list cast and the director's clear goal of showing the viewer an ordinary American day, along with the clearly established rules between whites and blacks, make for an enjoyable two hour film that makes you sweat at times. (15/09/2022)

I'm not a big fan of movies where multiple stories intertwine. But here, I don't even mind and the individual stories seemed complete. I felt the most emotion when Thandie Newton was being pulled out of the crashed car. But I was also touched by the fates of the other characters. I was really on edge at some points. Otherwise, I was amazed by the great music and unique atmosphere for most of the film. The film lived up to my expectations, yet I won't give it 5 stars. In the beginning, some parts were a bit boring. (20/08/2011)