Monday, November 14, 2005
Crash
- Who's watched: M & G
- Mentions: None
- Commentary: I bought this movie sight unseen on MPNC's recommendation. I enjoyed watching it, am clear on why MPNC found it meaningful and will probably watch it again, although I don't consider it quite as "important" as its advance publicity made it out to be. What I do like is that it is a "show, don't tell" movie. The performances are sharp, I appreciated the characters' predicaments, and especially appreciated Shaun Toub as Farhad, a Persian shop owner. He tends to play hidden but significant roles and when I see him on the screen my attention heightens.
All in all, though, I think Spike Lee did it better in Do the Right Thing. This movie was clearly "Hollywood". As I watched it the first time, I imagined the scriptwriters sitting around a table saying to one another, "Okay, we need one of these, and one of those, and a few of these supportives, and ...", you know, referring to people of different gender, racial and ethnic backgrounds as though they were chess pieces. Like they were playing the game of relevance. Do the Right Thing did not give me this impression. This movie is a presentation. Do the Right Thing is a story. I prefer stories, unless I'm watching a documentary, and, even then ...
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Sandra Bullock Jean Cabot Don Cheadle Det. Graham Waters Matt Dillon Sgt. John Ryan Jennifer Esposito Ria Brendan Fraser DA Rick Cabot Terrence Howard Cameron Thayer Ludacris Anthony Thandiwe Newton Christine Thayer Michael Peña Daniel Ruiz Ryan Phillippe Ofc. Tom Hansen Larenz Tate Peter Shaun Toub Farhad
Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
Release Date: 2004
Directed by Paul Haggis.
Labels: dramaA, political4, popcorn-and-soda5
