Crash (2004/I)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Paul Haggis

Writers (WGA):

Paul Haggis (story)
Paul Haggis (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

6 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

You think you know who you are. You have no idea.

Plot:

Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of inter-related characters...

Plot Keywords:

Racist | District Attorney | Hispanic | Locksmith | Police

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 42 wins & 66 nominations

Cast

Karina Arroyave	...	Elizabeth
Dato Bakhtadze	...	Lucien
Sandra Bullock	...	Jean Cabot
Don Cheadle	...	Det. Graham Waters
Art Chudabala	...	Ken Ho
Sean Cory Cooper	...	Motorcycle Cop (as Sean Cory)
Tony Danza	...	Fred
Keith David	...	Lt. Dixon
Loretta Devine	...	Shaniqua Johnson
Matt Dillon	...	Officer John Ryan
Jennifer Esposito	...	Ria
Ime Etuk	...	Georgie (as Ime N. Etuk)
Eddie J. Fernandez	...	Officer Gomez (as Eddie Fernandez)
William Fichtner	...	Flanagan
Howard Fong	...	Store Owner
Brendan Fraser	...	Rick Cabot
Billy Gallo	...	Officer Hill
Ken Garito	...	Bruce
Nona Gaye	...	Karen
Octavio Gómez Berríos	...	Hispanic Passenger
James Haggis	...	Lara's Friend
Terrence Howard	...	Cameron Thayer
Sylva Kelegian	...	Nurse Hodges
Daniel Dae Kim	...	Park
Bruce Kirby	...	Pop Ryan
Ludacris	...	Anthony (as Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges)
Jayden Lund	...	Security Guard
Jack McGee	...	Gun Store Owner
Amanda Moresco	...	First Assistant Director
Thandie Newton	...	Christine Thayer
Martin Norseman	...	Conklin
Joe Ordaz	...	Hispanic Driver
Greg Joung Paik	...	Choi
Michael Peña	...	Daniel
Yomi Perry	...	Maria
Ryan Phillippe	...	Officer Tom Hansen (as Ryan Phillipe)
Alexis Rhee	...	Kim Lee
Ashlyn Sanchez	...	Lara
Molly Schaffer	...	Woman at Locksmith's
Paul E. Short	...	Officer Stone
Marina Sirtis	...	Shereen
Bahar Soomekh	...	Dorri
Allan Steele	...	Paramedic
Kate Super	...	Receptionist
Larenz Tate	...	Peter Waters
Glenn Taranto	...	Country DJ (voice)
Beverly Todd	...	Graham's Mother
Shaun Toub	...	Farhad
Kathleen York	...	Officer Johnson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alastair Douglas	...	Young Peter (uncredited)
Nicholas George Stark	...	Jamal (uncredited)

Directed by
Paul Haggis

Writing credits (WGA)
Paul Haggis		(story)
Paul Haggis		(screenplay) &
Robert Moresco		(screenplay) (as Bobby Moresco)

Produced by
Don Cheadle	....	producer
Betsy Danbury	....	co-producer
Sarah Finn	....	co-producer (as Sarah Halley Finn)
Marina Grasic	....	executive producer
Paul Haggis	....	producer
Mark R. Harris	....	producer
Randi Hiller	....	co-producer
Jan Körbelin	....	executive producer
Dana Maksimovich	....	associate producer
Robert Moresco	....	producer (as Bobby Moresco)
Tom Nunan	....	executive producer
Andrew Reimer	....	executive producer
Cathy Schulman	....	producer
Bob Yari	....	producer

Original Music by
Mark Isham

Cinematography by
J. Michael Muro		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Hughes Winborne

Casting by
Sarah Finn		(as Sarah Halley Finn)
Randi Hiller

Production Design by
Laurence Bennett

Art Direction by
Brandee Dell'Aringa

Set Decoration by
Linda Lee Sutton		(as Linda Sutton-Doll)

Costume Design by
Linda M. Bass		(as Linda Bass)

Makeup Department
RaMona Fleetwood	....	hair stylist (as Ramona Fleetwood)
Kerry Mendenhall	....	department head hair stylist
Ben Nye Jr.	....	department head makeup
Bunny Parker	....	department head hair stylist
Theraesa Rivers	....	key hair stylist
Kimberley Spiteri	....	department head hair stylist
Michelle Vittone	....	key makeup artist (as Michelle Vittone-McNeil)

Production Management
Brad Arensman	....	post-production supervisor
Betsy Danbury	....	unit production manager
Mads Hansen	....	production supervisor
Robert Katz	....	executive in charge of production
Joel T. Pashby	....	post-production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Scott Cameron	....	first assistant director
Ime Etuk	....	second second assistant director (as Ime N. Etuk)
Simone Farber	....	second assistant director
Casey Mako	....	additional second second assistant director
Christian Pichler	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Scott Ambrose	....	property master
Brian Barr	....	art department intern
James R. Barrows	....	set dresser (as James Barrows)
Daniel Brodo	....	leadman
Nicki Cohen	....	buyer
Cary Conway	....	lead paint foreman (as Cary 'NW' Conway)
Steve Dennis	....	painter
Stacy Doran	....	set dresser
Marcus Epps	....	set dresser
Joseph W. Grafmuller	....	leadman (as Joseph Grafmuller)
Maya S. Grafmuller	....	set dresser (as Maya Grafmuller)
Jay Jergensen	....	construction coordinator (as John W. Jergensen)
Paul 'Butch' Kitchen Jr.	....	assistant prop master (as Paul Butch Kitchen)
David Maturana	....	on-set dresser (as David Saenz De Maturana)
Bruce Purcell	....	set dresser
Cynthia C. Rebman	....	on-set dresser (as Cynthia Rebman)
Oswaldo Rojas	....	propmaker
Philip Ryan	....	painter
Homberto Saenz	....	laborer (as Humberto Saenz)
Bradford W. Shoemaker	....	construction foreman
Jonathan Woods	....	storyboard artist (as Jonathan B. Woods)

Sound Department
Rick Ash	....	sound re-recording mixer
Derek Lee Bell	....	additional audio
Zack Davis	....	dialog editor (as Zach Davis)
Keren Falkenstein	....	additional audio
Tim Farrell	....	additional audio
Carl Fischer	....	boom operator
Marc Fishman	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Marc David Fishman)
Sandy Gendler	....	supervising sound editor
Chato Hill	....	digital sound assistant
Adam Jenkins	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eric Lamb	....	digital sound assistant
Carrie Lisonbee	....	digital sound assistant
Darrin Mann	....	foley mixer
Ryan Murphy	....	sound re-recordist
Andy Potvin	....	consultant: Dolby
Rocky Quiroz	....	utility sound technician
Joan Rowe	....	foley artist
Sean Rowe	....	foley artist
Joel Shryack	....	boom operator
Unsun Song	....	sound re-recordist
Greg Steele	....	adr mixer (as Greg Steel)
Richard Van Dyke	....	sound mixer
Karen Vassar	....	dialog editor
Jason Wade	....	additional audio
Julie Altus	....	adr recordist (uncredited)
Steve Bartkowicz	....	re-recording engineer (uncredited)
Courtney Bishop	....	adr recordist (uncredited)
Michael Miller	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Jason Wade	....	adr assistant (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Scott M. Austin	....	special effects foreman
Dan Edwards	....	special effects technician (as Danny Edwards)
Jeffrey Machit	....	special effects technician (as Jeffrey C. Machit)
Doyle Smiley	....	special effects technician
Ron Trost	....	special effects coordinator
Bryan Wohlers	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Chih-Jen Chang Andy	....	digital compositor: Luma Pictures (as Andy Chih-Jen Chang)
Sean Applegate	....	effects animator: Luma Pictures
Artaya Boonsoong	....	lead technical supervisor: Luma Pictures
Dean Chamberlain	....	producer: iO Film
Chad Dombrova	....	digital effects technician: Luma Pictures
Christopher Dusendschon	....	digital imaging supervisor: iO Film (as Christopher Dusendschön)
Evan Edelist	....	production executive: iO Film
Saeed Faridzadeh	....	digital compositor: Luma Pictures
H Haden Hammond	....	compositor: Luma Pictures
H Haden Hammond	....	effects animator: Luma Pictures
Justin Johnson	....	lead digital compositor: Luma Pictures
Wendy Klein	....	digital compositor: Luma Pictures
Tim Krubsack	....	production executive: iO Film
Julie Landholt	....	end title graphics: iO Film (as J. Kathryn Landholt)
Artin Matousian	....	digital effects technician: Luma Pictures
Glenn Morris	....	visual effects coordinator: Luma Pictures
Kevin Mullican	....	color science/imaging r&d: iO Film
Ian Noe	....	visual effects producer: Luma Pictures
David Schoneveld	....	effects animator: Luma Pictures
Payam Shohadai	....	visual effects supervisor: Luma Pictures
Thanapoom Siripopungul	....	digital compositor: Luma Pictures
Daniel E. Zobrist	....	lead matchmover: Luma Pictures (as Daniel Zobrist)
Unjoo Lee Byars	....	producer: main title (uncredited)
Kyle Cassidy	....	digital compositor: Luma Pictures (uncredited)
Russ Honican	....	main title design (uncredited)

Stunts
Hank Amos	....	stunt performer
Erik Betts	....	stunt performer
Dartenea Bryant	....	stunt performer
Keith Campbell	....	stunt performer
Chris Carnel	....	stunt performer (as Christopher Carnel)
Jack Carpenter	....	stunt performer
Kofi Elam	....	stunt performer
Randolph LeRoi	....	stunt performer (as Randolph Leroi)
Delma Miranda	....	stunt performer
Robair Sims	....	stunt performer
Monica Staggs	....	stunt performer
Dean Wayton	....	stunt performer
Gary J. Wayton	....	stunt coordinator (as Gary Wayton)
April Weeden-Washington	....	stunt performer (as April Washington)
Paul E. Short	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Arnold	....	electrician
Art Bartels	....	key grip
Lee Blasingame	....	first assistant camera
Kirk Bloom	....	second assistant camera (as Kirk L. Bloom)
Bruce Chimerofsky	....	best boy grip
James 'Spud' Danicic	....	additional second assistant camera
Robert Estrella Jr.	....	additional dolly grip
Cole Gibson	....	camera intern
Jeff Goldberg	....	grip
Dana Gonzales	....	camera operator
Dana Gonzales	....	director of photography: second unit
Dylan Goss	....	director of photography: aerial unit
Robert Heine	....	additional first assistant camera
Sam Kretchmar	....	camera intern
David Fred Masselink	....	digital imaging technician: iO Film (as D. Fred Masselink)
Richie Metcalfe	....	grip (as Lawton 'Richie' Metcalfe)
Dayton Nietert	....	gaffer
Masahiro Onodera	....	camera assistant: aerial unit
Scott Pepin	....	electrician
Raul Riveros	....	camera loader
David Ross	....	camera intern
Jesse Rushton	....	electrician
Jim Saldutti	....	grip
Todd Schlopy	....	additional first assistant camera (as R. Todd Schlopy)
Lorey Sebastian	....	still photographer
Jim Sheldon	....	still photographer
Victor Svimonoff	....	rigging gaffer
Will Whitaker	....	wireless video link operator
James D. Wickman	....	dolly grip
Darryl Wilson	....	rigging key grip
Christopher A. Zwirner	....	best boy electric
Tanya Adusumilli	....	additional camera intern: second unit (uncredited)
Ben Bowling	....	electrician (uncredited)
Shane Buttle	....	rigging electrician (uncredited)
Shane Buttle	....	set lighting technician (uncredited)
John S. Campbell	....	night light operator (uncredited)
Matthew A. Del Ruth	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Andrew Dumas	....	second assistant camera: additional unit (uncredited)
Alan Jacoby	....	additional film loader (uncredited)
Timothy Jipping	....	grip (uncredited)
Alexandra Lucka	....	additional camera loader (uncredited)
J. Michael Muro	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)
Chris Shadley	....	video assist operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Amy Greene	....	casting assistant
Jimmy Jue	....	extras casting
Erika Sellin	....	casting associate
Kathryn Lyn Long	....	extras casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mary Cheung	....	set costumer
Bridgitte Ferry	....	set costumer (as Brigitte Ferry)
Leyla Jabbar	....	wardrobe intern
Gail Just	....	wardrobe supervisor
Eve-Gerri Pagliarulo	....	wardrobe intern
Romeo Pompa	....	set costumer
Isabela Braga	....	costumer (uncredited)
Alana Caudillo	....	costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Adam Hawkey	....	digital colorist: iO Film (as Adam S. Hawkey)
Sean Hubbert	....	first assistant film editor
Michael John Koetter	....	assistant digital colorist: iO Film (as Michael Koetter)
Joel T. Pashby	....	post-production coordinator (as Joel Pashby)
Bob Wenokur	....	studio post-production representative (uncredited)

Music Department
James Burt	....	music editor (as Jim Burt)
Richard Glasser	....	music supervisor
Mark Isham	....	music arranger
Mark Isham	....	music producer
Mark Isham	....	musician
Stephen Krause	....	music recordist-mixer
Jason La Rocca	....	music assistant
Cindy O'Connor	....	additional music arranger
Mark Reveley	....	music assistant
Curtis Roush	....	music editor
Joel C. High	....	music executive (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Tony Barattini	....	driver
Tracey V. Black	....	driver (as Tracy Black)
David R. Blakely	....	driver
Daren Bojarski	....	driver
Roger Bojarski	....	transportation captain (as Roger S. Bojarski)
Brad Campbell	....	driver
John Campbell	....	driver
Corey Dail	....	driver
Derew Frutos	....	driver
Jay Galloway	....	driver
Curt Michael Grooms	....	driver
Virgie Haltman	....	driver (as Virgie Halteman)
Kevin Loding	....	driver (as Kevin P. Loding)
Eric Moon	....	driver
Michael Perrotti	....	transportation coordinator
Juan Ramirez	....	transportation co-captain (as Juan J. Ramirez)
Dom Rodriguez	....	driver
George A. Sack	....	driver (as George Sack)
Clinton J. Taylor	....	driver (as Clinton Taylor)
Sal Velásquez	....	driver (as Sal Velasquez)
Gina August	....	driver (uncredited)
William P. Lafon	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Thomas Becker	....	business and legal affairs: ApolloProScreen
Tony Black	....	assistant to cast
Andrew Blau	....	production coordinator
David Bojarski	....	assistant to cast
Paul Borbon	....	stand-in
Erik Bright	....	unit publicist
Luis Brito	....	catering chef: Hanna Brothers
James Cameron	....	production assistant
Jackie Chiquete	....	stand-in
Hugo Cortez	....	catering assistant: Hanna Brothers
Heather I. Denton	....	production assistant
David Diamond	....	assistant location manager
Jennifer Dunne	....	location manager (as Jennifer W. Dunne)
John Federico	....	production assistant
Thorsten Felscher	....	financial affairs: ApolloProScreen
Jordan Brendan Finnegan	....	key set production assistant (as Jordan Finnegan)
Felicia Flick	....	assistant: Ms. Schulman
Kelli Gillam	....	post-production accountant
Paul Giorgi	....	payroll accountant
Rob Hamer	....	production assistant
Janet Harold	....	assistant location manager
Ethan Higbee	....	assistant to cast
Barbara J. Keys	....	set medic (as Barbara Keys)
Howard Keys	....	set medic (as Howard M. Keys)
Richard D. Lewis	....	finance
Richard D. Lewis	....	production executive
Michael J. Linowes	....	production legal services: Linowes & Burkin (as Michael J. Linowes Esq.)
Jay Mason	....	script supervisor
Richard McDonough	....	assistant to producers
Peter McKernan	....	pilot (as Peter J. McKernan)
Leslie A. Morrow	....	key assistant location manager
Scott Mosher	....	assistant location manager (as Scott D. Mosher)
Dale Ottley	....	production secretary
Richard Parker	....	stand-in
Tanoa Parks	....	production accountant
Daniel Rosenthal	....	production assistant
Jimmy Rudon	....	production assistant (as Jimmy 'Bling' Rudin)
Gian Sardar	....	assistant: Mr. Haggis
Kai Schürmann	....	production supervisor: ApolloProScreen (as Kai Schuermann)
Jack Stern	....	studio teacher
Shelly Strong	....	production executive
Daniel Stutz	....	business and legal affairs executive
Mark Thomason	....	stand-in
Tiffany Thomas	....	first assistant accountant
Angel Villatoro	....	catering assistant: Hanna Brothers
Ian Watermeier	....	staff coordinator
Jörg Westerkamp	....	production executive: ApolloProScreen (as Joerg Westerkamp)
Dana Wilkey	....	product placement
Nicole Wirtz	....	stand-in
Charlotte Young	....	assistant legal affairs
Unjoo Lee Byars	....	main title producer (uncredited)
Nadine Deckensattl	....	assistant business affairs (uncredited)
Thomas Fischer	....	legal affairs (uncredited)
Suraj Gohill	....	production lender (uncredited)
Michael J. Harker	....	completion bond company representative (uncredited)
Jonathan Heine	....	production financing (uncredited)
Algerita Wynn Lewis	....	photo double (uncredited)
Warner Loughlin	....	acting coach (uncredited)
Michael McIntyre	....	creative director: main titles (uncredited)
Mikki Pallas	....	unspecified assistant (uncredited)
Julie Polkes	....	publicist (uncredited)
Lina Shanklin	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Brad Shoemaker	....	general foreman (uncredited)

Thanks
Anita W. Addison	....	dedicatee: (1952-2004 a great friend) (as Anita Addison)
Aliya Allyn	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Tim Allyn	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Laurence Becsey	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of (as Larry Becsey)
Donna Buchanan	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Unjoo Lee Byars	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Michael Chaiken	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of (as Dr. Michael Chaiken)
Tony Danza	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Rick Gold	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Meredith Grindlinger	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Ted Haggis	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Floy Hawkins	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Marshall Herskovitz	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Jason Isaacs	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Carl Lumbly	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Rosie McCann	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Buckley Norris	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Chuck Parker	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Pam Perry	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Mike Pietrzak	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Rebecca Pollack	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Deborah Rennard	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Salli Richardson-Whitfield	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of (as Salli Richardson)
Robyn Roth	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Neil Sacker	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Janet Salas	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Anthony Santa Croce	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
John Segota	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Todd Sharp	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Mary Jo Slater	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Allan Steele	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Ryk St. Vincent	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Dr. Ronald Sue	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Glenn Taranto	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Jeff Wachtel	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Deborah Wettstein	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Randy Wiggins	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Chuck Worthen	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Catherine Zappa	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of
Randall Zisk	....	the producers gratefully acknowledge the help of (as Randy Zisk)

Production Companies

• Bob Yari Productions
• DEJ Productions
• Blackfriars Bridge Films (as Blackfriars Bridge)
• Harris Company
• ApolloProScreen Filmproduktion
• Bull's Eye Entertainment

Distributors

• Lions Gate Films (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (A Lions Gate Entertainment company)
• Arclight Films (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (as Arclight Films International Pty. Ltd.) (in association with)
• Alfa Films (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Bontonfilm (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Christal Films (2005) (Canada) (theatrical)
• DPI (2005) (Russia) (all media)
• Gateno Films (2006) (Panama) (theatrical)
• Golden Village Entertainment (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Gussi Films (2005) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Imagem Filmes (2006) (Brazil) (VHS) (DVD)
• Independent Films (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Maple Pictures (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• Maple Pictures (2006) (Canada) (DVD) (director's cut)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2005) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• Universal Pictures Benelux (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV)

Special Effects

• Luma Pictures (visual effects)

Other Companies

• AON/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services  production insurance
• Advanced Electronics  walkies
• Axium  payroll services (as Axium Enterprises Corporation)
• Baker Winokur Ryder Public Relations (BWR)  corporate publicity (as Baker Winokur Rider)
• BeBee  night lighting (as Bebee)
• Central Casting  extras casting and payroll
• Cerruti  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes and dollies
• Chopard  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Cinelease  electric equipment
• City of Los Angeles  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Comerica Bank of California  bank financing (as Comerica Bank)
• Consolidated Film Industries (CFI)  color timing (as CFI)
• County of Los Angeles  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Creative Artists Agency (CAA)  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• DKNY  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• DKNY Home  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Eagle Eye Post  Avid provided by
• Eddie Michaels & Associates  unit publicity
• Entertainment Industry Development Corporation (EIDC)  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Ford Motor Company  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Hanna Brothers Catering  catering (as Hanna Brothers)
• Harry Stanback Security  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of (as Stanback Security Company)
• Hollywood Caterers  catering (uncredited)
• Insignia Public Relations  unit publicity
• International Film Guarantors  completion bond
• J.L. Fisher  camera cranes and dollies
• Kodak  motion picture film
• L.A. Mad Dogs  voice casting (as L.A. Maddogs)
• Linowes & Burkin  production legal services
• Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Film Office  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Magic Film and Video Works  negative cutting
• Martin Braun USA  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of (as Martin Braun)
• Martin Katz Jewelry  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of (as Marting Katz)
• Panavision  camera and lenses
• Pier 3 Entertainment  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Port of Los Angeles  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Soundelux  post-production sound supervision and editorial
• TM Motion Picture Rentals  grip equipment (as TM Motion Picture Equipment Rentals)
• The City of Santa Monica  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Todd-AO Studios  sound re-recording services (as Todd-AO)
• Venetti Wheels  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Volkswagen of America Inc.  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of (as Volkswagen of North America)
• William Turner Gallery  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of
• Yema Watches  the producers gratefully acknowledge the assistance of (as Yema)
• iO Films  digital intermediate
• mOcean  title design (as Mocean)

Also Known As:

L.A. Crash (Germany)
Collision (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Сблъсъци (Bulgaria: Bulgarian title) [bg]
Столкновение (Russia) [ru]
Çarpisma (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Ütközések (Hungary) [hu]
Alto impacto (Mexico) [es]
Colisión (Spain) (DVD title) [es]
Crash (Spain) [es]
Crash (Greece) [el]
Crash (Czech Republic) [cs]
Crash - Alto impacto (Venezuela) [es]
Crash - Contatto fisico (Italy) [it]
Crash - No Limite (Brazil) [pt]
Fatalna nesreca (Serbia) [sr]
Miasto gniewu (Poland) [pl]
Vidas cruzadas (Argentina) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexual content and some violence.

Runtime:

112 min | 115 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | Persian | Spanish | Mandarin | Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R16 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | USA:R (certificate #40991) | Sweden:7 | Taiwan:R-12 | Argentina:16 | France:U | Iceland:16 | Brazil:14 | Belgium:KT | Chile:TE | India:A | USA:Unrated (director's cut) | South Korea:15 | Ireland:15 (DVD rating) | Hong Kong:IIB | Malaysia:(Banned) (theatrical) | Malaysia:U (DVD) | Japan:PG-12 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | UK:15 | Finland:K-11 | Ireland:15A | Singapore:M18 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:R-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Bob Yari Productions

Trivia:

One of the things that inspired the movie was that Paul Haggis was carjacked himself.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Officer Ryan is helping his Dad in the bathroom, he pulls down his Dad's underwear but when Dad sits on the toilet he is still wearing his underwear, [you can see the elastic band].

Quotes:

[first lines]
Graham: It's the sense of touch. In any real city, 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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

A Rusty Sledgehammer.

Alas, here is a film mired by its excesses; one that comes so curiously close to moments of cinematic brilliance that all but embody the captivating possibilities of film-making, before disappointingly devolving backwards into a predictable, hammy and unbelievable preaching session.

Predictable because it follows standards – and doesn't dare to take enough risks. Hammy because it is stiff, simple and suspiciously empty. Unbelievable because a woman is saved from an exploding car on a jam-packed LA freeway and booked into a hospital and the cop who saved her goes back to work minutes afterward and, apparently, her husband is never even notified of her accident (and, if he had been, wouldn't he have been concerned with her welfare and perhaps at least left work early to attend to her?). Later that day he is involved in a high-speed chase; the conclusion of this incident wants to impress us with its irony and depth, but the problem is that there is none. Irony is not irony when it is commanded to be so; these characters do not realistically bounce off each other as they do in Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" or Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" – Paul Haggis' screenplay is contrived, and every time their paths cross, it isn't so much because they could cross (as in "Pulp Fiction") – it is because they must cross ways to service the furthering of the plot. It was irony in "Fiction" that the watch given to Butch was his father's saving grace and alternatively the cause of his own near-death. When the cop who sexually probed the woman ends up being her savior in "Crash," it isn't irony. It's a gimmick.

The film wants to challenge us, spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally – it wants to be on the edge – and it even thinks it is challenging – but in all actuality, it's very light, and the Academy's choice of awarding it Best Picture substantiates this. "Crash" plays it safe, too often and frustratingly so. It wants to force us into second-guessing our mentality – but this only makes it feel heavy-handed and manipulative. It proposes that people today (especially in areas such as Los Angeles) are racist – and extends this theory by proving their apparent racism through actions and dialogue – but this only works as a tool for awareness, not resolution. It worked with "Uncle Tom's Cabin" – it opened doors for new racial policies – but that was at a time when people's eyes needed to be open. It is now the twenty-first century, and bigots and racists know who they are and embrace this fact. We don't need a warning, anymore – we need a solution, and "Crash" provides no solid answers.

But it does have its moments – few and far between – that are stunning. (The rescue sequence, for example.) Matt Dillon gives a stellar performance, rich with depth and brimming with angst and hatred. Don Cheadle, in a similarly small role (from a cast of seemingly dozens), manages to convey exactly what the film needs in the form of a very human (and therefore very flawed) man from a shaky background who is struggling to maintain his image whilst dealing with a turbulent family situation – all of which comes to a breathtaking finale that doubles back on itself to the very beginning of the film.

Yet, for a movie with the gall to proclaim it is firmly rooted in humanity and wants to expose our inherent flaws, and wants to tell us we "don't know" who we really are, it does little to connect with its audience – even on the most basic level. The movie is simply too silly to take seriously. There are the aforementioned moments that actually start to amount to something, and begin to captivate – but are unfortunately dragged to a halting stop whenever Haggis tries to nail the point with a sledgehammer. An example of this: Everyone is constantly referring to racism in the script; one character is a conspiracy nut that thinks windows are put on buses to showcase the blacks "too poor" to afford anything other than public transportation. One character to the next is having an argument dealing with racial issues – a black car thief claiming all whites are racist; a white woman ranting about blacks and Latinos; a light-skinned black woman calling her husband racial epithets; it's just one after the next, over and over; Haggis didn't need to do this. We didn't need to have the woman's feelings explained to us, explicitly, after she is unjustly probed by the bigoted police officer. Her face says it all – it elicits fear, pain, hatred, and ultimately, deep upset over her husband's fragility and lack of manhood; the actions (or lack thereof) fulfilled by a man so utterly crippled by a fear of his own ethnicity that he denies himself the most basic human rights; peer respect at the cost of humility and debasement.

A better director would have stopped here. The face says it all. We don't need the rusty sledgehammer to drive the point in. Sometimes, all we need is the nail, and we can carry out the rest on our own.

Note: I give this film seven stars out of ten because some of its better moments outweigh the bad. I reserve giving it a higher rating due to the reasons above, but I do want to make it clear that some parts of the film were very good, and it's a real pity that Haggis was so inconsistent with the movie and couldn't have extended the better parts into a perfect whole.