Crash: A Social Commentary

In 2004, the film Crash was theatrically released to a wave of media frenzy. Not only did the film receive critical acclaim for its acting and storyline, but it also drew great praise for its depiction of highly sensitive issues plaguing both our country and the foundations of our society. The film tackles such issues as race, gender, prejudice, discrimination, and power and does so in a manner that expresses understanding, while sometimes generalizing for dramatic and resonant effect. Crash effectively both illustrates specific scenarios where these themes are prevalent but also highlights the roots and resolutions to these problems. Analysis of this film suggests that while Crash demonstrates a firm grasp on many of the racial and gender issues ailing our society in contemporary America, at times the film generalizes some of the larger problems and inadvertently works to contribute to the mass media’s construction of these matters and leave out some key factors.

A pivotal scene early on features Terrance Howard’s character Cameron Thayer and his wife Christine (played by Thandie Newton) returning from a night at an awards’ ceremony where Cameron has just received a great honor (something that actually becomes a particular point of racial conflict later on). The couple is African-American. As they are driving home the couple is pulled over by Caucasian two police officers played by Matt Dillon and Ryan Phillippe. The Thayers are supposedly being cited for a frivolous traffic violation, but the situation quickly escalates. It is immediately evident that Matt Dillon’s character, Officer John Ryan, has racist tendencies and is going to treat the couple with some amount of prejudice. It’s evident in both the way that he speaks to Mr. Thayer and the way that he rebuts any logical argument that Mr. Thayer might put forth. At this point, the film is constructing stereotypes revolving around both race and the role of law enforcement in conjunction to that. The film suggests that Officer Ryan being white and in the power position and the Thayers being black and having allegedly broken the law, Ryan will proceed to exert his power as a police officer to unjustly treat the couple with racism and discrimination. Meanwhile, Ryan’s partner, Officer Tom Hansen, a newcomer to the force, stands by idly, recognizing that Ryan’s actions are wrong, but becoming a party to his wrongdoing by not acting in opposition. Hansen symbolizes what many Americans are today. He is aware of racism and prejudice happening, but he initially turns a blind eye as to keep his own welfare in mind. In this case his welfare possibly being his reputation, as he is new to the police force and might not want to ruffle any feathers, or maybe even his job.