Crash is a Smash

“You think you know who you are? You have no idea.”

In the 2004 movie Crash, Officer John Ryan says this to his partner Officer Tom Hansen. Ryan knows Hansen accused him of being a racist. Hansen thinks he’s above racism—but he soon finds out that Ryan is in fact right. He doesn’t know himself like he thought he did.

Paul Haggis’ Best Picture winner, Crash, is an intense movie that follows a group of colorful characters through a turbulent 36 hour period. The movie has several different storylines that Haggis weaves together perfectly. Each of these story lines teaches us something about racism.

We meet Rick and Jean Cabot (played by Bredan Fraiser and Sandra Bullock), the LA District Attorney and his wife. While Rick tries to base his campaign as being as “non-racist” as possible, Jean lives a lonely life, unsure of who she can really trust.

There’s Officer Ryan and Officer Hansen (Matt Dillon and Ryan Phillippe), who both struggle with their racist beliefs. Hansen is new to the LAPD and thinks he has his ideals in check. Ryan, though, quickly teaches him that he does not know himself yet.

We meet Farhad (Shaun Toub) who deals with stereotypes against his middle eastern background everyday. He is ironically full of stereotypical beliefs himself, which eventually lead to take tragic action against an innocent father and husband.

All of these characters and many more are strikingly different on the outside, but deeply similar on the inside. They all deal with issues of racism and lonliness, stereotypes and hate. No one knows who they can trust, but they are all connected in random day to day business which forces them to cross each others paths—or crash into each other.

If Walter Lippman were to watch this movie, he would have a lot to say about the issues of stereotypes. His description of stereotypes in his text Public Opinion says “they are an ordered, more or less consistent picture of the world, to which our habits, our tastes, our capacities, our comforts and our hopes have adjusted themselves.” They are a sort of defense that keeps our lives going. For example, in the movie we see Sandra Bullock’s character held at gunpoint by two African Americans. Afterwards, she regrets not having followed her instincts because the stereotype she knew of African Americans made her afraid of the two who eventually stole her car. She and other characters use the stereotypes and the pictures in their heads as a defense mechanism to not have to deal with the world as it is.

This award winning movie is a must-see for everyone. It brings up topics that are often never spoken about, such as racism in law enforcement and our own uncomfortable feelings with people who are different from us. It forces conversation and discussion on topics that are often taboo. Paul Haggis has created a masterful piece that deserves all the awards and attention it received. It definitely deserves a ten out of ten stars.