Final Film Critique
Introduction to Film, English 225
Dr. Dwight Paulsen
Final Film Critique
Crash is a crime drama film in 2004, co – written, produced, and directed by Paul Haggis. This film is regarding social and racial tensions and its effect on various people in Los Angeles, California. The movie is an inspired self – described “passion piece,” after a real – life incident happened outside a video store in Wilshire Boulevard when Paul Haggis’s Porsche is carjacked in 1991. During the two days in Los Angeles, among the major characters intertwined in the story is a black detective with a Hispanic detective partner and a lover, who isolated himself from his mother and his criminal younger brother with a friend or a gang associate. The white district attorney who always uses the race as his political creed and with his irritated and pampered wife sees his opinion that crime is associated with the black as justified since they are recently carjacked by two black men and the two black men carjackers uses there race to their advantage. A racist white police officer, who disgusts his idealistic younger partner, uses his authority to go on and harass non-white and the other who despises his partner because of his racial opinions. An African – American Hollywood director and his very beautiful wife deals with the racist officer who in her opinion, think that her husband does not support her when the officer molested her. A Persian shopkeeper immigrant, a father who is wary and feels unsatisfied as his shop is robbed repeatedly. A Hispanic locksmith, a family man who is hard – working with his good intention to keep his family safe especially her daughter. The film extremely differs from many other existing films regarding racism in particular to impartial approach to the certain issue. Each character is separated into victims and offenders; the victims of racism are frequently shown to be racist themselves in contexts and situations in different manner. In addition, the racist actions and remarks are frequently shown to limit from ignorance and false impression rather than a malicious behavior. The acting and the story line of the film revolve among the characters in the film respectively. “Paul Haggis and the rest of the artists showcase cleverness, sensation, blunt, earnest emotion, and admirable willingness to risk sentimentality in the quest of real feeling; make known a great dramatic power, authenticity, intelligence, and passions of the casts and leave an impression to the audiences. In addition, more feelings, skills, seriousness, and urgent moral agenda, it is answered with shared desire for an excellent movie regarding class and race in modern American city.”
The plot is a non – linear form since the film started at a crime scene, and a multiple car accident has occurred resulting to a roadblock where Detective Graham Waters’s partner had a confrontation with a Chinese woman, as such, the event does not follow the direct causality pattern of the events featured in the film. The story has taken place where Waters found a shoe on the crime scene and the story continued. The film incorporates different characters as well as race. As a result, every confrontation directly leads to violence. The violence magnitude openly signifies aspect of racism. The movie has effectively established character believability. The different characters and the effect they take on issues concerning character crashing. The film is established from a script that keeps the level of tension very high towards the audience. It is characterized by merciless verbal battering and frustrating demonstrations of hatred . The actors in the film are personality actors, stars, and wild cards. Every character in the film performed a unique role that depicts realism and method acting. For example, one of the scenes in the film, the scene where Farhad, a Persian shop owner, as he locates the home address of the locksmith named Daniel. As Elizabeth, Daniels’s wife watches in great fear as Farhad shots Lara, Daniel’s daughter, as she jumped into his father’s arms to protect him with the invisible cloak and the grief of the parents the moment to realize that Lara is unharmed. The drama goes on all through the film as stereo casts continue to play out, lives of the people cross, and continue to “crash” together. The film is full of revelations and twists as it shifts from scene to scene. In the end, audiences find where the film began, at the crime scene, and the whole thing starts coming together. People or characters change throughout the film as well, and near the end, it seems that some of the people involved have changed for the better. The film ends with a car accident. The film boasts a number of solid performances, those of Matt Dillon and Ryan Philippe as police officers; the race-obsessed thugs Chris ’Ludacris’ Bridges with Larenz Tate; and Thandie Newton as the high-strung wife of Terrence Howard as a television director. In addition, Mark Isham’s affecting minimalist score and the production is generally excellent in technical credits that help add more depth to Haggis and Moresco’s screenplay in particular.
The character of Daniel and Elizabeth portrayed and interpreted their character perfectly; the settings contributed a good understanding of the character in the story . The film goes behind the interconnected lives of diverse citizens from different backgrounds and of diverse races. All the characters are all significant; it is unfeasible to single out main characters. The significance of the characters all together, lies in the lives they depict and the discriminations that arise within the movie. The language elements of the film, such as the Mise – en –scene includes the present day setting where the atmosphere has taken place in the modern day Los Angeles, California; it is tense all through the movie, however, it is very realistic enough or true – to – life. In terms of props, there are different types of vehicles or modes of transportations, the Saint Christopher figurine, guns, door locks, keys, and more. Every character wears the clothes in which they are stereotyped; they are dressed to match their race, background, and occupation and to fit where they are supposed to belong in the society perfectly. The lighting, from daylight to dark, many bad things happened at dark that tends to balance with reality. The seed of motion, though the film moves rapidly, the audience can follow details through its slower speed of motion that are accented with certain characteristics and highlighted with good or bad scenes. There are certain scenes that are fasters during the high – action events; however, most of the film is shot with a slower speed of motion. For example, the scene that is equally memorable but definitely depressing, the encounter between Ryan, a racist officer, and Cameron, an African – American television director, and his wife Cristine. Ryan’s sexual fondling on Cristine while searching her for weapons is unbearable for Cameron to watch her wife . This is a very fast-moving film, since the lives of so many different people are involved. The audience must pay attention to understand what is going on and how the lives of so many people are connected. Although some scenes may move a little more slowly to maintain tension, as a whole the film moves very rapidly.
The editing of the film crash 2004 seems to be a challenging since it consists of intertwined characters differing in race, ethnic, social, and cultural backgrounds over a period of 36 hours. The movie further examines bigotry and fear from various perspectives in the urban world of Los Angeles. The movie intensity is rapidly built and amplified by various editing techniques including fast casting. For example, when Cameron Thayer attempts to escape a carjack by two black men and he managed to retaliate. The editing in this scene utilized a combination of camera shots from streets, shots are from inside, from the top of the police vehicles with the sound from the police cars’ sirens and the police radio. The confrontation of Cameron with the police officers includes a longer shot that established the start of action, several subjective actions are obtained from the perspective of Cameron; the several quick paced over the shoulder, alternate dialogues with a close up shots or placement of the camera. Generally, as the camera past through, to the subject, the photo editor of the movie utilized extreme camera movements to give a kinetic quality . The movie is really an editing task; it is a kind of story intertwined the lives of unrelated people from varying cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds. Paul Haggis, as the director and at the same time the producer and writer he shot this movie quickly as the scenes are recorded by multi camera, cut from an Avid version of 7.1 films introduction to film four composers; an old machine compared with the current ones, still with a real power. It took around 7 months to get all locked cuts and in the end director’s cut is around 15 minutes . The passed through 2K digital intermediate finish. The picture also passed through a DI; iO films in the Burbank that touched the movie scan, color grading, assembly and a film out of the negative recording. Rick Ash played a part in sound recording mixes. The movie has an additional audio that figured out by Derek Lee Bell and other team members. The film has one of the best sound effects that go well with dialogues of the characters. In the department of sound, it is not complete without the presence utility sound technician. The man who is in charged is Rocky Quiroz. Crash, varied and backed up by solid and original soundtrack team . The sound in the film is a combination of dialogue, sound effects, and its music. The first dialogue, as an introductory voice over a narration, is done by Detective Graham Waters, addressed to his partner and a lover, Ria. After their car had a minor accident, Waters takes the event for the disjunctive as a metaphor, separated nature of existence in Los Angeles, while Ria insisted it is a literal, physical occurrence that requires a practical response. During the beginning of the movie, Detective Graham Waters, narrates while music plays. Usually, the sound effects appear when intense scene occurred; the emphasis of fear or pain portrayed by the character of the film. For example, the scene when the car exploded, the intensity of the sound effect fully affects the feelings of the audience.
Haggis highlighted his technical competence and distinguishable personality in the film he directed, his point of view is very evident. The film encompassed the themes of racism, that dealt with honesty, bluntly and even without reservation. Every character in this movie participates in the continuation of the different sequences in the process where they all suffered. This is probably the most important aspect, because the film is full of close encountered stereotyped. The social, economic, and psychological elements made this film, the intensified feelings, and actions of so many people in everyday life. Since our culture as a whole continues to stereotype and show racism to those who “are not like me,” the film stressed this point to every extent. The film is meant to portray life as it really is, although most of audience does not want to think of it or see it that way. It is supposed to scare them as much as to make them realize, the world we live with humor in some point of our life. The movie is definitely targeted for adult audiences, and even teenagers should not see this film without their parents at least viewing it first. Haggis is eager to show the complexities of his many characters; it means that each one will show two sides exactly. The racist police officer became courageous physically and dedicated to his sick father; his perceptive associate connected in some racial profile; a black young man perceives racial profile anywhere became a carjacker. No one is innocent. There is good and bad in every person. The exception is a Mexican-American locksmith; quietly act politely in discrimination and insincerity . Haggis asserted that the movie is originally supposed to be fear to strangers; however, it became a movie regarding racial differences. He cannot help but wonder that his experienced as a victim of carjacking influenced his view on racism. Whatever the reasons, the film leave a mark and in a film meant to leave a mark and show relevant conversations concerning race, white people are consent of the hook in the film, as it happens in real life.
The film touched many significant issues that affect the society. The major themes of the film include racism, family bonds, sexual violence, crime, politics, and human trafficking. Every character in the film depicted different social locations that show a little amount of representation of a diverse society. The dialogues and languages shocked the audience; racial and sexual slurs are ingrained in the speech of the character with a little censorship. However, those languages are used with a purpose or intention to engage connection to the audience and apply realism and deeper complexity. The film is beneficial as it demonstrates how human beings are complex beings; cannot be defined by a sole factor such as gender, age, class, or race. Most of the audiences criticize the film, sees it as if it is full of racism only, and became a hindrance to the narration and showing of the film. Most of the people prejudge the film and the viewers of the film not to take keen interest on the film. This affects the passing of the message into the society. Most of the viewers in the society view the movie as a boring story. Most of the people in Los Angeles asked hard questions concerning racism in different individual levels . In addition, they portrayed some realities which are harsh that are normally avoided on the big screen. Most critics viewed and judged the film differently. Some of them see the characters and criticize that they are not perfect enough to act in the film. All this criticisms affect the narration and presentation of the film as prejudgment makes other viewers to neglect the film. Therefore, the message cannot be fully passed in to the society.
It is indeed that the film “Crash” by Paul Haggis highlighted an intelligent way of commitment to venture the challenges of reality. His work of art is authentic that every character portrayed dramatic power and passion that every audience or viewer is touched with an urgent moral schemes presented in the film really existed in the society especially in the modern time. Therefore, are enlightened on this issue. The film also depicts different which the married couple’s problems and how to solve them. The movie is portrayed to belong to a genre that has been flourishing in the recent years. The movie makes the audience to acknowledge and accept the roles in the society.
Reference
Brussat, F. B. (2012). Film Review: Crash. Spirituality and Practice . Retrieved from
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=9729
Haggis, P. (Director). (2004). Crash [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from
http://www.bmetv.net/video/3403/crash-2004-full-movie.
Lehane, B. O. (2004). Action Sequence Detection in Motion Pictures. In EWIMT .
Schoenherr, S. (2004). Universal International News: Newsreel 1931, Departemnt of History.
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Taulbee, S. J. (2006). Film review of the movie Crash. Pastoral Psychology , 55(2), 247-251.
