“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 “(Crash 2005). The crash is a heart-touching story displaying the increasing need for multi-cultural Los Angeles individuals to relate with each other. The movie successfully exposes racism, stereotyping, apprehension, and prejudice like never before. It starts with a multi-car collision and gradually slips into the personal life and inhibitions of each of the twenty characters. Star performers, including Don Cheadle, Terrence Howard, Nona Gaye, Sandra Bullock, Michael Pena Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillipe, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Chris Bridges, and Larenz Tate, complimented the inciting story and supplemented the punch characters were expected to invoke in viewers.
The movie remarkably won three awards, out of the nominated six, in 78th Academy Awards; it was also nominated for two Golden Globe awards. “Other awards include Best Ensemble Cast at the 2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards; Best Original Screenplay at the Writers Guild of America Awards 2005; Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress (Newton) at the BAFTA Awards; Best Writer at the Critics’ Choice Awards; Outstanding Motion Picture and Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role (Howard) at the Black Movie Awards; Best First Feature and Best Supporting Male (Dillon) at the Independent Spirit Awards; Best Acting Ensemble and Best Writer at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards; and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Howard) and Outstanding Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards“(Answers.com).
Baffled characters, who were either culprits or victims, struggled emotionally and physically to confirm or to condemn racial stereotyping. Surprisingly, all events depicted racial discrimination in some other form. Ria (Jennifer Esposito), the Latino woman got in an argument with another Asian lady over the car accident and her racist remark. Ria was accompanied by Waters, an African-American detective, and her boyfriend, who came to inspect the adjoining crime scenes. Farhad (Shaun Toub), a Persian store owner retorted to the gun shop owner, who mistook him for an Arab and made a racial remark on him and his daughter Dorri. Dorri (Bahar Soomekh), a doctor, was better acquainted with the language and conduct of Los Angeles but, was concerned about his father’s insecurity and bias towards other communities. Farhan and his wife Shereen resented being taken as Arabs and this and the robbery incident added to their frustration. Anthony (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges) and Peter (Larenz Tate), two car thieves, took Jean’s uncomfortable gesture as a racist act and carjacked the couple. Rick Cobot (Brendan Fraser), Jean’s (Sandra Bullock) husband, was an elected white District Attorney. Traumatized by the carjacking, Jean displeased Micheal Pana (Daniel Ruiz), a Mexican-American locksmith, leading him to leave both keys with her. Meanwhile, Waters and Ria investigated the murder case that involved two (one black and one white) men who later turned out to be Water’s younger brother Peter and the policeman, Hanson. Hanson was Police officer John Ryan’s (Matt Dillon) partner. John made an unsought comment to the HMO employee over the phone and she disconnected the line. Following the event, Ryan took his frustration over Christine (Thandie Newton), black television director Cameron Thayer’s (Terrence Howard) wife. Christine, disappointed by her molestation, argued with Cameron and consequently, they both questioned each other’s upbringing. Hanson disliked Ryan’s approach and consulted Lt. Dixon (Keith David), an African- American officer, expressing his desire to disassociate with Ryan. Manager Jake Flanagan (William Fichtner), an assistant to the district attorney, blackmailed Waters to withhold evidence.
One Korean couple randomly appeared in the movie with only two scenes focusing directly on the business owner. In the first appearance, the owner (Choi Jin Gui) discussed business with another man in the same Diner where Ryan called and argued with the HMO employee. Korean man collected the check and left the Diner, crossing Police officer Ryan, with his white van. Later the man was accidentally hit by car thieves Anthony and Peter who, followed by a short discussion, reluctantly dropped him in front of a hospital. Anthony and Peter tried to sell the stolen car to Lucien. Looking at the bloodstains, Lucien refused to pay saying he might be caught. Subsequently, Anthony noticed the Korean man’s white van while traveling back on the bus and, took it to the chop shop. Lucien, the chop shop owner, found abducted Asian immigrants in the van’s back and offered Anthony $ 500 for each Asian; however, Anthony chose to free them all instead. In their last appearance, a Korean businessman, lying in the hospital, asked his wife to take out and, cash the check soon.
The Korean man’s character is portrayed contrastingly compared to other characters in Crash. Where every other character is shown racially biased in some form or the other, the Korean man appeared absolutely unbiased throughout, until his last scene. The last gesture of his revealed his obsession with money, when the first thing he could ask his wife, after a severe accident, was to cash the bank check and run away with the money. The movie also questioned the ethics of Korean businessmen by displaying his guilt-free human trafficking act. Choi Jin Gui effectively played the Korean man’s role using the fewest dialogues and motions. His wife, the Asian lady in the first scene, remained shrewd throughout.
Each of the characters, except the Korean man, realizes the futility of stereotyping and unethical treatment by the end of the story They ended up in reconsidering their acts and tried to make up for their mistakes: Anthony and Peter choose to pull the run over Korean man and drop him to the hospital taking that extra risk. Anthony later freed the abducted Asians, a depiction against the stereotype that Africans are unaccommodating and valueless; Ryan willingly risked his life to rescue Christine who was stuck in a car accident, Christine being the black woman he molested the previous day; Jean apologized to her Hispanic maid Maria by confessing to her that she considered Maria her closest friend: Cameron unites with his wife over the phone and Frahad let go of his anger. But, there was no realization on the Korean man’s part; his character was rigid and rather more concealed.
Unlike other characters, not much detail about the personal life of Korean businessmen has been shown. Jean’s conduct is backed by the carjacking incident, Ryan’s by his ill father, Anthony’s by his poverty and Farhan’s by his insecurity and unfamiliarity but, the Korean man’s conduct is not clarified in any way and, no cause and effect relationship has been given. His actions are portrayed cold, thoroughly planned, and completely unsupported by the backdrop of emotions. The character in itself does not display any strong emotion and remains calm and calculative even after being run over by a vehicle. The other side of his story remains suspense. The way his character is depicted, apparently lacks humanism.
Furthermore, the monetary motivation behind Korean man’s act makes it all the more detestable. Where every other character gets in or brings up trouble to secure, defend or relieve, the Korean man does it only for money. He is shown wealthier than Anthony and Peter who steal for livelihood. There is no sign of anger, frustration, or guilt in his portrayal. In every scene he appears, his character generates contrasting emotions. At first, he appears to be a decent business owner not involved in any kind of controversy. In the second appearance, he generates sympathy when two thieves mistakenly run him over, and reluctantly pull him up finally dropping him by the hospital. He looked completely innocent and vulnerable. In his last scene, he unexpectedly generates hatred by displaying cold actions and responses.
In short, the only character that is depicted as utterly cold and completely unethical in the movie is the Korean man. And even though his character is short, he unanimously generates repulsion in the end. The character does not provide any inspiration and, rather moves from a quite positive to extensively negative trail. In a way, opposite to the concept intended to be displayed, the movie rather ended up supplementing Asian stereotypes.
However, barring the Korean man, every other character displayed a positive message or feeling on completion. Writer-Director Paul Haggis beautifully conceptualized the movie after his own carjacking experience and, was successful in effectively depicting the experience and emotions.
References
Crash. Dir. Paul Haggis. Perf Don Cheadle, Terrence Howard, Nona
Gaye, Sandra Bullock, Michael Pena Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillipe, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Chris Bridges, and Larenz Tate. Bob Yari Productions, 2005. Film.
“Movies: Crash” Answers.com. Answers, n.p, n.d. Web.