Cady's Take:

Crash takes place during a tense 24-hour period in Los Angeles where we are introduced to a cross-section of Californians. This movie’s performances come from a wildly wide-ranging cast, including Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Larenz Tate, Brendan Fraser, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe, Terrence Howard and rapper Ludacris.

Crash is chock full of unpredictable moments. It is a portrait of a sped-up society in which most people never have enough time, enough money, enough help or enough compassion. No race or ethnicity is overlooked, be it white, black, Asian, Latino, or Middle-Eastern, and each one is treated to a concise, realistic, and fair viewpoint of how they fit into the grand scheme of the country they reside in. You never know exactly who the good or bad guys are in this tense racial drama.

This is one highly charged production. The cinematography is strong, with a stylistic emphasis on blur and confusion interrupted by knife-carved incidents of prejudice and consequence. The acting is amazing, notably by Dillon and Newton in their shocking second encounter towards the end of the film. At close to 2 hours, I can’t think of a single flat or dramatically pointless scene. Crash will leave you with something to think about for days and weeks to come.

"Crash" is a two hour poem on film. There are no unnecessary words, no unnecessary shots, and at the end you feel like you don't know what to do with what you just learned. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed this film, especially considering my phobia about seeing movies that I have read and heard too much positive feedback about - I almost never end up liking these movies. "Crash" proves to be the exception to my rule.

Race relations play out in Los Angeles, and characters of many colors, nationalities, and religions collide with one another in a series of events that highlight how ingrained racism is in our society; not just racism of whites against non-whites, but all groups against (and sometimes within) one another. Consider for a moment Don Cheadle's character who is pleased that he is sleeping with a white woman (his partner played by Jennifer Esposito). Of course his partner is also a Latina, but he can't quite remember whether she is Puerto Rican or Cuban.

"Crash" says things that people don't say out loud and sometimes it can be uncomfortable, but in that good kind of way where it makes you think and want to think. Matt Dillon is absolutely outstanding in this movie; honestly, he's quite brilliant and unlikeable, and then sympathetic and strong. It is something to see.

Run don't walk! This is a must see.