The Quadrangle

Issue date: 2/15/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Every so often, a film is released that rejects this popular notion and shows audiences that contemporary film is capable of being more than just meaningless entertainment. The 2004 film Crash, directed by Paul Higgins, takes the audience on a twisting and suspenseful ride through the tumultuous lives of several people of various backgrounds and races living in Los Angeles who are all entertwined in ways in which they never expected.

Considering the fact that this is Paul Higgins' directorial debut, along with both the story and the screenplay having been written by him, it is certainly an impressive work.

The movie holds a clear theme of the prejudice that exists in society from people of all different cultures and races towards those belonging to others. The notion that only certain groups are racist and certain are victims of racism is strongly disputed, as we learn the stories of each character and watch as people of another race form preconceived ideas about them. As the film goes on and each story is told, the preconceptions are annihilated and each person realizes the underlying prejudice views they hold. Crash knocks away any false ideas audience members have about the prejudices found in society and found within each person, and gives a strong sense of reality.

The acting in the movie is reputable, as each actor portrays honest characters filled with both hurt and anger. The combination arouses strong feelings of compassion and resentment in the audience, and at times, it can be heart-wrenching. Matt Dillon's role as a misogynistic cop is particularly convincing, and throughout the film, he does a beautiful job of showing his change of character. Karina Arroyave as Elizabeth does a striking job of playing a woman who is the victim of sexism and racism as a white cop. In the film, she is pulled over by Dillon's character, who proceeds to question her and her husband while he searches their bodies. Ryan Phillipe plays a simple role as a cop working with Matt Dillon's character and starts out as the film's hero. Each other actor does a first rate performance and not even one of them falls flat.

The movie is filmed in a way in which the viewer feels as though they are in the scene, thanks to the realistic coloring, a slightly wobbling camera, and a grainy appearance. This adds to the intensity of the film as one becomes so involved in the lives of the characters that they tend to forget they are even watching a movie.

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