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

"Its the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In LA, 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."

That's how it all starts. A simple accident between two vehicles and a flashback which lasts for 2 days. Ample time to show how so many randoms can affect each other in profound ways. The film takes time to build up on each character to make you want to give a damn about them, and the story too takes time to weave their sad little lives together. There is obviously tension when these flawed characters meet and with tension comes drama, suspense and a whole lot of apprehension. Apprehension on which path these characters would take when faced with the situation they were put in. Personally I think what's amazing is that they all arrive at such dramatic crossroads and to take either path would have resulted in very different outcomes for each of them. The first half of this film can be a tad confusing but it does build up on one's emotions. I could literally feel anger at some of the characters forming to a stage of WTF. You'll really feel these emotions wrenching you inside, until at one one absolutely brilliant moment I was literally tearing at the expectation of an unfolding horror, only to be cathartically released unexpectedly. It was just the start of the rollarcoaster ride that is CRASH.

Did I mention that all of them are racist in one way or another? No wonder I could relate to them. The bastard cop and his redemption. The good cop and his huge mistake. The rich tai tai and her realization of who her true friends are. The poor misunderstood locksmith and his angelic daughter. The Persian mistaken for an Arab exacting his own revenge. The black man whom doesn't want to be black. (You embarrass me. You embarrass yourself.) The other black man whom finds his own redemption. The runaway kid that ironically gets into trouble when he's actually trying to go home. Good guy becomes bad, bad guy becomes good. It all links. It all hits home. This is the real world. Interesting stuff. Really. If you think you know who you are. You have no idea.

The conflicts which these people experience can only fully be enjoyed in the cinema. A tv screen cannot do this wonderful work justice. Note that this is a directorial debut by Paul Haggis, whom adapted the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby. He's not just good at adapting. He can write his own stuff too as examplified by CRASH. $9.50 worth every penny. WARNING: This is not a movie to watch if you want to escape real life. It has, due to summer blockbusters like THE ISLAND and STEALTH, been overshadowed and overlooked. If you do have time, check it out for yourself. You'll probably be checking yourself out after the credits roll...

I believe I did.