Courtney Patterson

Julie Hicks
LBST 1102
17 November 2015
Crash Response
Experiencing a movie like Crash is the equivalent of walking merrily down the road on
a warm summer day, then suddenly falling neck-deep into ice-cold water, states Keith Owens of
the Metro Times. The 2004 film, directed by Paul Haggis, is a strong critique of American
culture. Throughout the film there are many automobile crashes, but it is the figurative crashes,
such as the collisions between cultures, ideas and opinions, that are the most important. These
crashes, like those in real life, make people stand back and think about the situation that is
unfolding. They give them a chance to reevaluate who they are as a person and, if they are lucky,
they give them the ability to change. The intertwining of the plots, the development of the
characters and the suspense all work together to make this film spectacular. It accurately
represents the downfalls of our culture, such as racism and stereotyping, however, it does show
that sometimes people are able to make changes for the better.
The title of this film has an array of meanings. The plot is centered around a series of car
crashes, but there is so much more to the film than just that. It highlights the collision of different
cultures and it shows how our preconceived notions tend to get in the way of us getting to know
people for who they truly are. For instance, when Farhad was trying to purchase a gun to protect
his store, the owner of the gun shop accused him of being a terrorist when he was trying to
decide which bullets to purchase. Ever since 9/11, this has been an issue in our country and it is
very hurtful to majority of the citizens who are just here to find a better life for themselves and

their families. Another incident where a person was judged off of their looks was when the
Cabots were having their locks changed by Daniel. Jean asks her husband, Rick, if they can get
them changed again the next day because she is afraid he is going to sell a copy of her key to his
gang friends so she can get robbed again. He was just trying to do his job and help the Cabots,
but due to his hair cut, his outfit and his tattoos, he was accused of being a threat.
I also feel as if this title is expressing the way in which reality hits us. Many characters in
this film were able to change their ways because they finally saw things through a clear lens, not
one that was clouded by their prejudices. Characters were usually able to come to a moment of
grace because they realized that their previous actions were wrong. Officer Ryan knew what he
did to Christine was wrong, so he did whatever he could to save her during her crash. Officer
Hansen knew that he needed to protect Cameron because he witnessed the wrongdoings to his
wife. Each character realized that there is so much more to life than physical appearance, race,
or beliefs. We are all humans and we all deserve to be treated with respect and compassion.
Another thing that I connected to the title was, when a car wreck happens, people who are
passing by usually stop and stare. They are observing the crash from the outside and piecing
together all of the details to come up with a story of what happened. The moments in the film
where characters showed their judgmental sides are a clear reflection of our culture and they
make us, as viewers, step back and observe how we, as individuals, act. We observe car wrecks,
then we take action, whether this be calling the cops or helping the victim. In our society we
need to take time to reflect on the issues that we have, then work to make them better.
There were several characters in this film whose betterment was very significant. The
first, and most obvious, one is Officer Ryan. Roger Ebert says, for me, the strongest
performance is by Matt Dillon, as the racist cop in anguish over his father. Both his downfall

and his recovery happen during very intense situations and his overall transformation is the most
prominent throughout the film. He pulls over the Thayers one night and while they are standing
outside of their car, he sexually assaults Christine. Not only does this event make her upset, so
does the fact that her husband does nothing to stop it from happening. The next day she goes to
visit him at work and they get into an argument. On her way home, she gets into a wreck and
Officer Ryan is the first man to respond. When they make eye contact and realize who each other
are, Christine panics and asks for someone else to help her. Due to the seriousness of the
situation, Ryan knows he has no other options. He finally gains her trust and while he is trying to
get her free, the car catches on fire. Ryan is rescued by his coworker, but Christine is still trapped
in the vehicle. He risks his safety, jumps back into the car and does everything possible to free
Christine. In the moment afterwards, she is seen clinging on to him with a look of fragility and
sadness. He realizes that his actions in the past were completely out of line and in order to attain
her forgiveness, he puts her life above his own. Officer Ryans father is not very healthy and it
seems that after the incident with Christine, he becomes more humble and more willing to take
care of his father. Initially, he just shut the bathroom door and went back to bed, but afterwards
he stayed and rubbed his back and he went to the doctors office and tried to get his father to an
educated doctor who could give me medicine to improve his condition.
Another character that had a moment of grace is Jean Cabot. At the beginning of the
movie it seems as if she has the ideal life, but eventually we learn that her happiness is just a
facade. She is talking on the phone with her friend about the fact that she woke up angry and she
was not angry about all the things that had been happening over the past few days, she was just
angry with her life. While she is talking, she slips and falls down the stairs. She tries to call
people to help her because she cannot get up, but no one will come to her rescue. It is then that

we see how fragile Jean truly is. She looks completely hopeless and vulnerable in this moment.
The only person who is there for her is Maria, her housekeeper. While Maria and Jean are sitting
on her bed, Jean hugs her and tells her that she is her only true best friend. I feel as if Jean
realizes that she does not treat people in her life the way she should. She fails to show her
appreciation for them. After this incident she also calls her husband, who she has been pretty
harsh to over the past few days, and before hanging up she tells him she loves him; something
that she does not seem to do very often.
Anthony, who plays the role of a thug throughout the film, has an unexpected moment
of grace. After Cameron keeps him from getting arrested for carjacking and gives him back his
weapon, he gets on the bus; something he said he would never do. When he gets off the bus, he
goes to the area where he hit the chinaman and he takes his van, which he ends up driving to a
mechanic. When the mechanic opens the back door, he sees that the van is full of people who
appear to be dirty and starving and are chained to the walls. The mechanic comes up with an idea
to sell these individuals into some form of slavery or human trafficking. It would be expected
that Anthony would go along with this plan, since he always seems to be looking out for himself
and he would want money, but instead he takes the van, drives the people to a highly populated
area, sets them free, and even gives them some money so they can start their new lives. Since
Cameron did him a favor and showed him there are still good people in the world, he felt like he
should do the same for someone else.
As anticipated, I loved this film. One of my favorite things about it was the way each
storyline intertwined. It was an accurate representation of how cultures intertwine in todays
society, even though some people like to overlook this. I also enjoyed how the beginning scene
matched up with the end scene of detective Waters at his brothers crime scene. It gave viewers

closure, while at the same time forced them to reflect on the film as a whole. Ken Tucker
reviewed this film by saying, its a film you wont stop thinking about, arguing over, debating,
after the lights come up, which is a very accurate way to describe it. Although Crash highlights
the negative aspects of humanity such as the stereotyping and prejudices, it also shows that there
is still good in the world; that some things can happen in life that make people change for the
better. There was a perfect amount of suspense and emotional appeal and I loved seeing how
each character uniquely developed. Yet again, I have another great film to tell all of my friends
about.

Works Cited

Ebert, Roger. (2005). Crash Movie Review & Film Summary. Roger Ebert. Retrieved November
16, 2015, from http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/crash-2005

Owens, Keith A. (2015). Crash Reviews. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1144992-crash/reviews/?sort=

Tucker, Ken. (2005). Accidents Will Happen. New York. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/reviews/11872/