grand canyon, the next generation

Crash (2005)
4 Stars
Written and Directed by Paul Haggis
Starring Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Jennifer Esposito, Ludacris, Larenz Tate, Terrence Howard, Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillipe, Marina Sirtis

This hard-hitting examination of racism starts a bit strident, a bit too much like Higher Learning. But it deepens as the movie continues; it humanizes and turns poetic. While still a bit contrived, the end product is reminiscent of Grand Canyon; which is to say, what passes in Hollywood for profound. Haggis wrote Million Dollar Baby, and Crash carries much the same vision of Los Angeles. It is the best movie of 2005 I have yet seen.

BTW, this movie bears no relationship to the 1996 David Cronenberg movie of the same name.