DVD available at Amazon.com
Director:
Paul Haggis
Starring:
Sandra Bullock……….Jean
Don Cheadle……….Det. Graham Waters
Matt Dillon……….Sgt. Ryan
Jennifer Esposito……….Ria
William Fichtner……….Flanagan
Brendan Fraser……….Rick
Terrence Howard……….Cameron
Anthony “Ludacris” Bridges……….Anthony
Thandie Newton……….Christine
Michael Pena……….Daniel
Ryan Phillippe……….Officer Tommy Hanson
Larenz Tate……….Peter
Shaun Toub……….Farhad
Lionsgate presents Crash. Written by Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco, from a story by Haggis. Running time: 115 minutes. Unrated. Available on DVD: April 4, 2006.
The movie:
“It’s the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.” – Det. Graham Waters (Don Cheadle)
These sentences are the opening lines for the 2005 Best Picture winner. On its own the statement may give the reader pause. Incorporated into film, the sentences are a constant reminder for what happens during a 36-hour span.
Crash is an impressive film that tells interlocking stories of different races and nationalities – whites, blacks, Latinos, Koreans, and Iranians. Each group is defined by class status and racism, either directed towards them or regarding someone else.
The idea of racism is something that can be misconstrued very easily. We all have negative impulses but if we denigrate a person it may not have anything to do with the color of his skin. Paul Haggis is smart enough to know this. So, while racism is the key issue in the story, sometimes the hatred depicted isn’t racially motivated.
The characters that encompass the film are each flawed, existing in a place believed to be the City of Angels. Los Angeles may be the City of Angels, but the ensemble comprised therein is clearly not wearing halos. Within the first few minutes we understand who these characters are and how they live, but we don’t know how they act or behave day-to-day. Taking into account the film’s intertwining storylines, the viewer must allow for some latitude in the way the scenes play out.
Last year Paul Haggis penned the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby, a film that went on to capture numerous Academy Awards including Best Picture. Drawing from his own carjacking experience, Haggis woke up one evening and started writing. When he stopped he phoned a writer-friend of his, Bobby Moresco, and told him he had an idea for a TV show. Moresco read the pages and told Paul this has the makings of feature film.
The screenplay uses serendipity as the device to connect the stories. Each character crashes into another. Not a physical crash, but rather through interactions. Prejudgments are made based on looks, and assumptions prevent understanding of the person in front of them. Like when Cameron (Terrence Howard), a successful African-American television director, is met by the show’s producer, Fred (Tony Danza). Fred is upset because one of the actors doesn’t “sound black enough”. It never occurs to Fred that Cameron doesn’t talk like one would expect a black man to sound.
An Iranian (Shaun Toub) is thought to be Arab just because of his facial characteristics. But Iranians are Persian. Though, this does not make a bit of difference to the owner of a gun shop. He doesn’t see an Iranian. He sees a terrorist.
The Iranian man owns a convenience store and wants to purchase a gun because of recent thievery. He also has a faulty lock. So when Daniel (Michael Pena), a Mexican-American locksmith, comes to the store he replaces the lock. Yet, the door is busted and won’t close properly. He tries to explain this to the storeowner, but the Iranian feels he’s been cheated.
He’s not the only one who feels this way. The white wife of the district attorney (Sandra Bullock) believes Daniel to be a gangbanger and a crook, who will make a duplicate of their key the moment he leaves the house. Daniel is neither a gang member nor a criminal; he’s a family man trying to provide for his wife and little girl.
These are but a few of the incidents depicted in Crash, but you can see where this is going. The characters speak freely without trying to be politically correct. The D.A.’s wife is so scared by her carjacking ordeal that she has the locks for her house changed. Then she presumes the locksmith, “with the shaved head, the pants around his ass, the prison tattoos,” will be back with friends to rob the place.
The district attorney (Brendan Fraser), while trying to comfort his wife, is also worried about the newsworthy implications of the carjacking, since he was with her when it occurred. Talking to his assistant he asks, “Why do these guys have to be black? No matter how we spin this thing, I’m either gonna lose the black vote or I’m gonna lose the law and order vote.” Makes you wonder about the re-election spin doctoring by the D.A. in the Duke University rape case.
A veteran when it comes to writing episodic television, Paul Haggis has an ear for the street and is able to craft dialogue that is everyday speech. This is why the characters seem real. The actors believe in the material and avoid the typical clichés for their characters.
In such a great ensemble it is tough to find a performance that is lacking. Matt Dillon, in his Oscar-nominated performance, is the most revealing as the racist cop. The traffic stop he makes early into the film is unnecessary, but he sees what appears to be a white woman performing fellatio on the driver. He then humiliates and demoralizes her with a body search. Thrusting one of his hands between her legs. Dillon’s partner (Ryan Phillippe), the unproven rookie, hates what is happening, but fails to do anything about it.
Dillon’s cop may be inhuman, as the traffic stop illustrates, but later he is trying to care for his ailing father who can’t get proper medical care from his HMO. It’s easy for him to usurp his power when victimizing strangers, but he is powerless when helping his father.
Crash is full of questions with few answers. We may try to delude ourselves into believing that no matter how fair-minded we may be it’s not possible to be racist to another. Paul Haggis shows everyone is guilty of prejudice on some level. Morals are presented, but not elaborated upon. Lessons are learned, but the answers are not easily recognizable. Some may think the film as preachy, I don’t. It is social commentary filled with cold and cruel people. Where hope glimmers ever so little. Still, hope is there, waiting to be channeled in all of us. With this I write, let the actors and their words captivate you, instilling in you the sense that racism is everywhere; not just something on the six o’clock news.
Score: 10/10
The DVD:
A mere seven months after arriving to DVD, Crash makes the proverbial double-dip as it gets a chance to bask in its Academy Award-winning glory. With this two-disc release there is a new director’s cut, the DVD’s main selling point. It is not a drastic improvement to the film as only two minutes worth of footage is added to the feature. For those unfamiliar with Crash, Haggis has included a booklet insert where he explains some of the changes made, part of which is paraphrased below:
“You won’t see earth-shattering changes; we didn’t leave a lot on the editing room floor. In order to shoot this film in 35 days, we cut the script to the bone before we rolled camera, removing about a dozen pages from an already lean script. I think all those script cuts actually helped.
What you will see restored here are more “moments” than scenes; chunks of dialog here and there.”
“For example, I expanded the “under the bed” scene with Daniel and his daughter to its original length, reinserted a small scene with Officer Tommy Hanson that I thought illuminated his building frustration with doing the right thing, and added some dialogue to his final scene in the car with Peter. Lots of little moments like that. And I let the movie “breathe” in some spots – well, a little; as I mentioned, we didn’t have the money to shoot anything other than essential scenes. And I believe there is a lot to be said for shooting under such constraints.”
This two-disc release is housed in a slim double keepcase with a slipcover and insert; the cover artwork maintains the style of the original release, but is still an improvement.
THE VIDEO
(Presented in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen)
Compared with the film’s first release on DVD, the video transfer is a slight improvement. The softness and grain that plagued the theatrical cut only pop up occasionally. The decision to shoot Crash all throughout Los Angeles – from the San Fernando Valley to Studio City to Ventura Ct. – gives the widescreen transfer richness in colors and diversity. The two minutes of deleted footage is also clean and blended seamlessly well with the rest of the film.
Score: 8.5/10
THE AUDIO
(English DTS 6.1 ES; Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0)
The 5.1 mix from the original release is included, as is a new 6.1 DTS mix. Considering the film cost a paltry (by Hollywood standards) 6.5 million to make, Crash sounds better than ever. This is due in large part to Mark Isham’s score. Next to Gustavo Santaolalla’s compositions for Brokeback Mountain, this was the best soundtrack for 2005. Nonetheless, it helps set the mood for the metal and glass metropolis L.A. English and Spanish subtitles have been provided for the main feature, as well as English captions for the deaf and the hearing-impaired.
Score: 9/10
SPECIAL FEATURES: Some new features, old commentary
At first, I wasn’t too sure if the audio commentary from the first release was the same for the director’s cut. Alas, it was. A little trickery as you hear Paul Haggis introduce himself and that it is the director’s cut. When comparing both commentaries they are the same. The track itself features Haggis, along with co-writer/producer Bobby Moresco and actor/producer Don Cheadle. This was the best special feature for the original release, so again it remains entertaining and informative to listen to. Still, I would have loved a new commentary track, maybe with group participation from some of the cast.
Paul Haggis provides a different introduction to the DVD, which lasts all of about 16 seconds. Totally needless. Behind the Metal and Glass: The Making of Crash is worth your time. 28 minutes in length, the featurette is more informative than the 10-minute piece on the original release. Cast and crew reflect on the film and the realism of the script. Like how the film attacks the notion of race relations in America. Filled with ugly truths, the subject matter is offensive and controversial. The making-of is a nice companion to the commentary track.
Also included is a trio of new featurettes. On Paul Haggis is a five-minute piece that acts as a promotional plug for the writer-director-producer.
Unspoken (11:31) tries to drive home the film’s depiction of racism. Bobby Moresco and Haggis with their screenplay have characters that talk openly about race and racism. The clashes of races and religions and cultures only help to outline this point. In the extra Haggis believes, “our reality is so detached we need a catastrophic event to pull us down to earth, together.” Sounds like 9/11 to me.
Narrated by Thandie Newton, L.A.: The Other Main Character is perhaps the best featurette on disc 2. Included are comments by Karen Bass, a California state assembly member in the 47th district of L.A.; Antonio Villaraigosa, the Mayor of Los Angeles; and Marquece Harris-Dawson, executive director of a L.A.-based youth coalition. They help to illustrate the sprawling city. Bass believes, “glamour is only felt by those who do not live there [Los Angeles].” The landscape is considerable wealth juxtapose with considerable poverty. And, it is fourth behind Calcutta in income distribution.
There’s also a collection of eight deleted scenes with optional director commentary; the deletions were wisely cut since most are mere extensions to scenes already in the film. Be aware the optional commentary is low and raspy by Haggis. Adjust your sound system accordingly.
A pair of script and storyboard comparisons is included, as are some music montages and Bird York’s “In the Deep” music video. (NOTE: the original Best Buy bonus discs for Crash included a few different script/storyboard comparisons and music montages; so, you might want to keep those, and the original release, as well.)
What’s gone from the original release is the behind-the-scenes featurette I have already mentioned, as well as Kansascali’s “If I…” music video and an assortment of trailers.
Definitely a satisfying upgrade.
Score: 8/10
| InsidePulse’s Ratings for Crash: Directo’s Cut | |
