L.A. Crash

Die wahrscheinlich ehrlichste (und selbstkritischste) Filmaussage über die Probleme des eigenen Landes. Wahrscheinlich deshalb, weil Paul Haggis ein sensibler Kanadier ist und das Milieu, in dem er als Expatriate lebt, besser reflektieren kann als jemand, der in ihm geboren wurde. Der Film, der dramatisch die Lebenswege von mehreren Protagonisten verbindet, hat eine globalere Optik als z. B. 21 Gramm. Er beobachtet aus einer größeren Entfernung mehrere Schicksale und verbindet sie durch ein eher schwaches Motiv. Es ist aber trotzdem eine intensive emotionale Fahrt mit vielen starken Momenten, die man sich merken wird. Der Film urteilt nicht, die Figuren sind nicht gut oder böse. Sie werden als sensible Wesen dargestellt, die durch böse Kräfte beherrscht werden. "Du glaubst, du weißt, wer du bist?" (29.09.2005)

There are certainly a few scenes that get under your skin and make you shudder, but as a whole it’s too contrived, too "for effect" (in this respect I experienced the same feelings at the turning point in Haggis's other film Million Dollar Baby), too many coincidences that I found hard to accept, unbelievable behaviour of some of the characters. I didn’t buy it... (29.10.2005)

There are two free seats on the bus, one of them is next to a white guy, the other is next to someone with brown skin. Where would you sit? This film answers this and similar questions, hinting at the circumstances that lead to them. Is it racism or avoiding a risk from fears based on previous negative experiences? An often unnecessary but quite logical price of mixing nations together. (08.04.2009)

The mirror reflecting contemporary America is perhaps angled in a way so as to provide the most effective reflection, but the whole thing is so believable that it's hard to resent it for that. Haggis's minimalist form achieves the best effect, which is an emotional attack on the viewer. Simple camera work, no directorial gimmicks or excesses, subtle music by Mark Isham, and above all, strong content that, in its own way, lacks a unified plot but instead fragments into a complex mosaic of individual human destinies and leaves an incredibly powerful, realistic, and human impact. Moreover, the strong cast elevates the quality of the film even higher. Still, I can't help but bring up one name - Don Cheadle. He is perhaps unfairly overlooked as an actor, but he proved here that he belongs to the absolute top in his field and that he has no issues taking on any role. Coincidences may not exist, but after watching Crash, one can successfully question that notion. (02.12.2005)

Racism and xenophobia in all possible forms in cosmopolitan Los Angeles in the period leading up to Christmas. The storytelling style is similar to Magnolia, especially as far as how the separate stories end up interweaving with each other. Primarily toward the end we get a couple of really powerful moments, effectively supported by excellent music... Despite everything, I couldn’t get over the feeling that it was all too superficial and intended only for effect, which is a shame. (05.11.2005)