Crash
hits the brakes and ends up just shy of good.
The theory of six degrees of separation says a single person is no more than six people removed from any other person anywhere on the planet. It's a thought that's humbling and, aside from its scientific or sociological implications, can put an interesting
perspective on how we deal with the people
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around us. Writer/director Paul Haggis (
Million Dollar Baby
) clearly had this thought in mind while crafting
Crash
.
The film tells multiple stories at once, using a revolving door narrative style similar to PT Anderson's
Magnolia
. The stories end up telling a single tale about a group of strangers in LA and how they interact with one another.
The film opens as Graham (Don Cheadle) and Ria (Jennifer Esposito) sit in their car after being rear-ended. Dazed, Graham announces the film's theme, saying people in LA are so isolated they sometimes crash into each other just to make contact. The film then backtracks to the previous day where we meet Rick, the DA (Brendan Fraser) and Jean, his wife (Sandra Bullock); two carjackers, Peter (Larenz Tate) and Anthony (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges); Officers Ryan (Matt Dillon) and Hanson (Ryan Phillipe) and a tangle of other characters.
From the beginning, it's clear this film isn't just about the interpersonal relationships of the various characters, but about race relations. Haggis dispels the myth of America as a melting pot and favors the more accurate analogy of a stew. When the ingredients don't mix right, there's a mess. Every character speaks aloud their hidden prejudices, motivated by anger, fear and ignorance.
The film starts strong with the surprising talent of rapper/actor Ludacris. His character, Anthony, views American society as a means to belittle African-Americans. Despite a
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short acting résume (2003's
2Fast 2Furious
), Ludacris tackles his role aggressively, anchoring some of the film's strongest scenes. Tate's Peter is an excellent foil, poking holes in Anthony's conspiracy theories and providing some welcome comic relief.
After the tumbling storyline is set in motion, the characters continue to find themselves in trouble with the police, their spouses, their parents and each other. Taken individually, this laundry list of calamities ends up a bit much-it's tiring and over the top. One begins to wonder how many tragedies can befall a group of people within the confines of a single film. It's not a matter of suspension of disbelief but one of "enough already." During this misery marathon
Crash
begins to live up to its name, bringing out the overwrought emotions and dramatics like explosions in an action movie.
By the end, the characters finally converge on one other, touching each other's lives in some small way. Haggis handles this well, without forcing the plot device or being cute. Haggis finds a happy medium between the emotional pyrotechnics and real human drama, but it's too little too late. Though
Crash
makes the point that we are all connected through our fortunes, good and bad, the film itself ends up several degrees separated from greatness.
