Crash

Maybe it’s my inner racist and maybe I’ve been disappointed once too often by Robert Altman films but 2005 Academy Award Best Picture Crash simply didn’t reach that lofty level for me. The movie is decent, I’m not saying otherwise, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Ludacris, Shaun Toub, Sandra Bullock did good acting jobs and, despite not really being about anything, Paul Haggis avoided the worst, ponderousness that so frequently bloats Altman’s work and James Muro’s cinematography was definitely excellent.

But in the end Crash is just too laid back and relaxed, as if the stereotypical LA pace infected the cast and crew. The tension doesn’t build and the climax has nothing to release; Haggis’ message about the sad state of everyday life is absolutely true and he gives good dramatizations, small and large, but really nothing new.

moderately recommended