Crash
Across one volatile stretch of Los Angeles, strangers collide through crime, policing, and prejudice, exposing how racism distorts every human connection.
Overview
A gripping exploration of interconnected lives reveals the complexities of race and humanity in Los Angeles.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- provocative
- confrontational
- serious movie night
- social issue discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a provocative, effective ensemble drama about racial tension, though its interconnected moral lessons can feel heavy-handed.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Disparate residents, police officers, detectives, and families repeatedly cross paths during a thirty-six-hour period in Los Angeles.
Police authority, political calculation, public prejudice, and unequal treatment shape the characters' conflicts.
Los Angeles connects characters from contrasting ethnicities, professions, neighborhoods, and socioeconomic positions.
The film complicates distinctions between overt racism, subconscious bias, victimhood, and culpability across its ensemble.
Films like Crash, and why
Traffic
interwoven urban crime narratives examining racial prejudice, moral compromise, and social collision
Babel
ensemble Los Angeles drama using intersecting lives to explore racism, class, and emotional alienation
Do the Right Thing
provocative multi-character drama about institutional prejudice, policing, and difficult moral choices
Movie Details
- Director
- Paul Haggis
- Release Date
- 2005-05-06
- Runtime
- 112 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (4018)
Cast
- Don Cheadle
- Sandra Bullock
- Brendan Fraser
- Matt Dillon
- Jennifer Esposito
- Michael Peña
- Terrence Howard
- Thandiwe Newton
- Ludacris
- Larenz Tate
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Crash about?
- Across one volatile stretch of Los Angeles, strangers collide through crime, policing, and prejudice, exposing how racism distorts every human connection.
- What is Crash like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Crash as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Crash violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Crash as moderate.
- What did critics think of Crash?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a provocative, effective ensemble drama about racial tension, though its interconnected moral lessons can feel heavy-handed.
- Which films are like Crash?
- Films with a similar feel include Traffic, Babel, and Do the Right Thing.
- How long is Crash?
- Crash runs 112 minutes.
- Where can I watch Crash?
- In United States, Crash streams on Philo, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel.
