Crash (2005) Critic Reviews

So what kind of a movie is Crash? A frustrating movie: full of heart and devoid of life; crudely manipulative when it tries hardest to be subtle; and profoundly complacent in spite of its intention to unsettle and disturb.Read the full review

Any glimpse of emotional honesty comes courtesy of the actors, who manage to do a credible job despite the material.Read the full review

Flaws are outweighed by Crash's intricate construction and intelligent.Read the full review

It might even have been a landmark film about race relations had its aura of blunt realism not been dispelled by a toxic cloud of dramaturgical pixie dust.Read the full review

Life's an exhilarating and often dangerous ride, and its accidents can yield good and bad things. Anticipation of the bad keeps us watching Crash, to be sure, but so does hope of the good.Read the full review

Unfortunately, the running time is too short for us to get to know, or care about, the characters in a way that would make the film's themes strike a responsive chord.Read the full review

Ultimately, Crash succeeds in spite of itself. Its color war starts to feel obvious and schematic. Its coincidences and clichés become like a pileup on the 405 freeway, but there it is -- you find yourself rubbernecking and can't manage to look away.Read the full review

The stunning, must-see drama Crash is proof that words have not lost the ability to shock in our anesthetized society.Read the full review

In the end, Crash lacks a cumulative impact. It takes audiences to new places, but we've all been to similar places, and we walk out knowing no more than we did walking in.Read the full review