Crash

I went to see the movie Crash tonight. It developed slowly and 15 minutes in I was bracing myself for real disappointment, but then it started to pick up. The character development during the first act takes awhile and does drag a little, but its necessary given the number of integral characters. Once it does start moving it is a really emotional movie...I heard several gasps and quite a few sniffles in the theater.

By the way, the movie does start and end with the same car crash, but it is not about car crashes. That was Cronenberg's 1996 movie of the same name.

The easiest way to describe Crash is to say that it is about race, but that's too simple. It is a Los Angeles movie that combines the racial issues of a movie like Grand Canyon with the interconnectedness of Magnolia, two other LA movies. Much like I said in my Bobby Long entry about New Orleans, Los Angeles is a character in this film. It also shares with Magnolia, a dark and brooding sense of despair. It is ultimately about redemption; especially if you believe its never too late to be redeemed.

Crash is a good movie, but not a great movie. It will make you think and it will put you on the edge of your seat at times in the process. My rating: 7 of 10.