Well, it was the Only One I Saw

Crash won the Academy Award for best picture on Sunday. And I agree with the members of the Academy, Crash was the best film that I saw this year. Perhaps my view is slightly slanted because Crash was the only film that was nominated for best picture that I saw, regardless of that, it deserved the win. Written and directed by Paul Haggis, Crash is a story of race relations in Los Angeles. It follows the tales of an ensemble cast that includes Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Ocean's 11 & 12), Mat Dillon (There's Something About Mary, but he is in a much different role here), Sandra Bullock (Speed), Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow), Ryan Phillippe (Cruel Intentions), Brendan Fraser (The Mummy) and rapper Ludacris. The story shows how all these people's paths cross and what happens between them. The film is powerful, touching not only on race issues but the power structure as well. For example there is a scene in which Matt Damon's character - a white police officer - sexually assaults Terrence Howard's wife in the film. There is nothing Howard's character can do because Dillon is a cop. The film is technically sound, with superb editing and a soundtrack that really fits the images on screen well. But the key is the story.

To me the best performance of the film isn't put on by one of the stars mentioned above, but instead is put on by Michael Pena, who plays a locksmith who happens to be Latino. He surprised me in the film, because I had never seen him in anything else. He has a young daughter in the movie, and the relationship put forth in the scenes between the two is incredible. All in all Crash was the best movie of last year, well, at least the best one that I saw.

Publish Date: March 6 in the Missourian.