Crash, 2004

The film deals mainly with racism between common people in America. Several plotlines demonstrate various aspects of the issue and also provide different points of view. Regular people are involved in crime, criminals are involved with the police, the police is involved in crime, and the film’s character arcs are some of the most notable in my experience. Several big-name actors have excellent performances in the film, including Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and Matt Dillon. The film’s attention grabbing opening involves a philosophical rant by two black car thieves about their occupation and place in society, which sets up their next robbing, which happens to be the DA of the area (Brendan Frasier). The two men conversing on the street were not of the opinion that stealing things was wrong, even if it may be to promote fairness, and they fulfilled many black stereotypes. These stereotypes made the viewer aware of societal perceptions of people and their own perceptions of people. The reaction by those who had their car stolen was one of anger and frustration of the race differences between the parties involved. Both Bullock’s character and Frasier’s character were angry at the men for the simple fact that they were black, and in Bullock’s character’s case, mad that people of different races than their own were involved in more criminal activity in her perception, causing a distrust and animosity towards such groups of people. Over the course of the film, both of these characters’ view on race changes, as Bullock realizes her only real friend is her Hispanic housekeeper and Frasier is subtly revealed to be having an affair with his black assistant. However, a Hispanic locksmith (Michael Pena) is one character who is an onlooker of the racial struggles around him in his neighborhood and a target of racial tension. He seeks to protect his daughter and those who he works for, staying loyal even to those who betray him (Bullock’s character) and those who judge him based on his ethnic background. He reacts appropriately to accusations of him based on his race even keeps his composure when faced with murder out of anger against him because he was distrusted because of his race. Continuing from this, the director illustrated in all of the characters that there was a basic goodness in their ability to disregard race and act for the betterment of others in spite of the racial prejudice inherent in them from their societal influences. A police officer who has disregarded the privacy of a black couple and violated their rights is later shown to have a goodness in him when he saves one of those very same people by knowingly putting his life on the line even when he has the consequence-less option of saving himself and leaving the black woman to die in the crash. In the crash, the woman’s life is risked and can only be saved by one man putting aside his past and acting with his sense of humanity first in his mind. While the film does not end well for all the characters, a bright light is shown on the small window in everyone that allows them to put aside personal hate and prejudice and to help other people. Obviously, the theme is supplemented by an original and enthralling plot, but the theme is the focus of all of the actions in the film. Every scene draws a picture of racism between these people and the film’s great success is based mainly, in my opinion, on the power of these themes and how well they were demonstrated by the masterful filmmaking.

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