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Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Shaun Toub ... see more see more... , Brendan Fraser , Terrence Howard , Chris "Ludacris" Bridges , William Fichtner , Thandie Newton , Ryan Phillippe , Larenz Tate , Michael Peņa , Art Chudabala , Tony Danza , Keith David , Loretta Devine , Ken Garito , Marina Sirtis , Beverly Todd , Karina Arroyave , Billy Gallo , Nona Gaye , Sean Cory , Dato Bakhtadze , James Haggis , Bahar Soomekh , Daniel Dae Kim

Issues of race and gender cause a group of strangers in Los Angeles to physically and emotionally collide in this drama from director and screenwriter Paul Haggis. Graham (Don Cheadle) is a police det... read more read more...ective whose brother is a street criminal, and it hurts him to know his mother cares more about his ne'er-do-well brother than him. Graham's partner is Ria (Jennifer Esposito), who is also his girlfriend, though she has begun to bristle at his emotional distance, as well as his occasional insensitivity over the fact he's African-American and she's Hispanic. Rick (Brendan Fraser) is an L.A. district attorney whose wife, Jean (Sandra Bullock), makes little secret of her fear and hatred of people unlike herself. Jean's worst imaginings about people of color are confirmed when her SUV is carjacked by two African-American men -- Anthony (Chris Bridges, aka Ludacris), who dislikes white people as much as Jean hates blacks, and Peter (Larenz Tate), who is more open minded. Cameron (Terrence Howard) is a well-to-do African-American television producer with a beautiful wife, Christine (Thandie Newton). While coming home from a party, Cameron and Christine are pulled over by Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon), who subjects them to a humiliating interrogation (and her to an inappropriate search) while his new partner, Officer Hansen (Ryan Phillippe), looks on. Daniel (Michael Pena) is a hard-working locksmith and dedicated father who discovers that his looks don't lead many of his customers to trust him. And Farhad (Shaun Toub) is a Middle Eastern shopkeeper who is so constantly threatened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that he decided he needs a gun to defend his family. Crash was the first directorial project for award-winning television and film writer Haggis. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

89% liked it

405,434 ratings

Critics

75% liked it

196 critics

R, 1 hr. 53 min.

Directed by: Paul Haggis

Release Date: September 10, 2004

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DVD Release Date: September 6, 2005

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Stats: 37,699 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (37,699)


  • May 22, 2013
    Solidly entertaining racial soap opera melodrama.
  • May 1, 2012
    This well intentioned story of intertwining lives in the cultural melting pot that is Los Angeles is an ambitious attempt to explore the grey area outside of political correctness. Nearly all of the characters display racism to various extents but it's done so in a way as to crea... read morete three dimensional characters without demonization. It's sensitively directed and well played by all concerned with Terrence Howard in particular bringing depth to his black studio exec who suffers humiliation at the hands of the LAPD. Paul Haggis cut his teeth on TV comedy drama and it is very apparent here; the unlikely series of coincidences that unites the characters seems overly contrived and there is one too many of the kind of pop music montages that are the hallmark of lightweight American TV drama. It is well meaning and nicely executed but the need Haggis shows to tie all of the themes up in a nice big bow for the audience seems just a little patronizing.
  • fb1378820053
    April 8, 2012
    fb1378820053
    A Very powerful, thoughtful, complex movie about Racism and Xenophobia in America portrayed by a group of Americans who in 36 Hours all collide with each other. There is some truly Powerful scenes in this film that will stay with you for a long time after the final scene. The act... read moreing is Brilliant especially from oscar nominated "Matt Dillon" The many sub plots may confuse some people and the whole concept of the film may put people off but the whole raw power of this film is why it's worth watching.
  • January 7, 2012
    Has some images that stays with you and a wonderful score by Mark Isham. Paul Haggis has definetly potential as a director, but his debut feature is mixed bag. It is raw and emotional, but these kind of films are beginning to be way too trendy in hollywood. It is kinda Magnolia m... read moreeets Traffic . It also feels a bit too preachy at times. Still this not bad at all.
  • fb733768972
    December 6, 2011
    fb733768972
    As you are feasting your eyes on this breathtaking film, you will lose count of how many thematic elements are present. This film revolves around family and friends in the harsh times of Los Angeles. It follows many different races of characters, and when they all "crash" togethe... read morer, it is a beautiful story. The performances are jaw-dropping, the way the story unfolds is shockingly good hearted, and the camera shots are unlike any other movie of this decade. "Crash" is one of the best films that I have ever seen, and if you haven't had the good graces to check it out, I highly recommend doing so. Magnificent!
  • October 29, 2011
    Other than the Sandra Bullock/Brendan Fraser storyline (which didn't really go anywhere), this is basically a perfect movie. Most impressive to me were Don Cheadle, Thandie Newton and Michael Peņa, though this film features a great ensemble performance. Some scenes will bring you... read more to tears, others will leave you shaking, and one made me howl with (highly inappropriate!) laughter. These are all reactions that it's the film's goal to provoke as it asks the characters (and the viewer) to confront their prejudices. And sadly, for this (expertly plotted) group of (loosely) connected characters, this is all in a day's work in contemporary Los Angeles. People say that Robert Altman's Nashville did this first, and did it better. I'll watch that one and see. For what it's worth, after years of thinking Brokeback Mountain might have been ripped off at the Oscars, I can see why Crash won. A very, very good film.
  • August 7, 2011
    Very touching scenes from this slow, heart-warming and astoninshingly perfect movie.
    Thandie Newton really impressed me.
  • fb729949618
    August 1, 2011
    fb729949618
    One of the most recommended movies to my friends. Hard-hitting film about the harsh world we live in.
  • July 18, 2011
    The deserving winner of the Oscar for Best Picture in 2006 is a poignant morality study on racism, intolerance and xenophobia, so intense and powerful that it hits the most loathsome sores of society in a really unsettling way - and it can certainly make you cry and feel deeply u... read morennerved, and stay with you long after it is over.
  • July 10, 2011
    This ensemble drama is set in a snake pit universe, where each and everyone is a racist puppet. And destiny has it that these sugarcoated-for-award-committee-characters collide with each other in multiple, crisscrossing events.
    More and more implausible coincidences pile up and ... read moreby the time almost everyone in this overcrowded cast had been inadvertently crashed into each other, the movie fails to get beneath the surface of the issue it has been trying to shove on your face for the past 112 minutes.

Critic Reviews


Christy Lemire
February 15, 2013
Christy Lemire, Associated Press

Haggis moves seamlessly between all these stories and has structured them in such a way that his characters reach a crisis point simultaneously, followed by melancholy clarity. Full Review

Ken Tucker
December 9, 2005
Ken Tucker, New York Magazine

It's smart, therefore, that Haggis has written such novel, precisely observed, often unpleasant characters as the ones Bullock, Dillon, and Cheadle inhabit. Full Review

Andrew Sun
August 30, 2005
Andrew Sun, Hollywood Reporter

Enjoy the wonderful performances by a cast very committed to the cause.

Geoff Andrew
August 11, 2005
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

An already over-eventful narrative -- what, another crash? -- teeters into melodramatic implausibility. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
May 13, 2005
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

[Has a] spirited and talented ensemble cast, which Haggis directs with sensitivity. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
May 12, 2005
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

Too facile. Full Review

Desson Thomson
May 6, 2005
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Haggis's drama is about much more than interlocking front-end collisions. It's about the way we learn, often badly, about one another and how it may take a bad confrontation to peel away the mispercep... Full Review

Stephen Hunter
May 6, 2005
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

This is the rare American film really about something, and almost all the performances are riveting. It asks tough questions, and lets its audience struggle with the answers. Full Review

Geoff Pevere
May 6, 2005
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star

The best parts of Crash are as good as they are because they confront us with behaviour we might be capable of under the same circumstances. And we're not bad people. Are we? Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
May 6, 2005
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

And so Crash raises the question: If racism is so pervasive in our society, why do we need such an elaborately contrived plot to drive home the message? In other words: How many racists does it take t... Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts


    • Anthony: Time is money.
    • Graham Waters: It's the sense of touch.
    • Ria: What?
    • Graham Waters: In the real city you, you walk, you know? You brush past people. People bump into you. In L.A. nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much that we crash into each other just so we can feel something.
    • Daniel: So she reaches into her backpack and she pulls out this invisible cloak and she ties it around my neck. And she tells me that it's impenetrable. You know what impenetrable means? It means nothing can go through it. No bullets, nothing. She told me that if I wore it, nothing would hurt me. So I did. And my whole life, I never got shot, stabbed, nothing. I mean, how weird is that?
    • Graham Waters: Well, fuck you very much. But thanks for thinking of me
    • Officer Tom Hanson: You think you know who you are. You had no idea.
    • Graham Waters: In any real city, you walk, you brush past people, and people bump into you. In L.A, nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other just so we can feel something.

Crash : Watch Free on TV


Crash Trivia


  • What movie is this? After getting into a serious car accident, a TV director discovers an underground sub-culture of scarred car crash fetish victims and tries to use that to rejuvenate his sex life with his wife.  Answer »
  • In 50 First Dates, Lucy Lost Her Memory In A Car Crash, Going To _____________?  Answer »
  • This movie has a star cast that includes: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Phillipe, and Matt Dillon. It is a movie about prejudice and misconceptions  Answer »
  • Matt Dillon saves a lady in a burning car in what movie  Answer »

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