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Film study
“Crash” Film Study
PRE MOVIE QUESTIONS
1. This movie is set in Los Angeles, a city rich in diversity.
Do you think that an area with such diversity would be
more open or close minded about differences? Why?
2. Is it appropriate to ask someone their ethnic background? Why or why not? Would you
prefer to have someone ask you about your background or assume it?
3. What do you think causes racism? Why does it exist?
4. Have you ever been stereotyped? How did it make you feel?
WHILE WATCHING
1. Name the different stereotypes you heard in this movie (make a list as you are
watching the movie)? Are they ones you have heard before? Is stereotyping a bad
practice? What are the reasons why people use stereotypes? Does everyone
stereotype?
2. In his review, Roger Ebert says, “One thing that happens, again and again [in the film],
is that peoples' assumptions prevent them from seeing the actual person standing
before them” (“rogerebert.com”). Choose one scene and point out the specific
assumptions that prevent one character from “seeing” another character as an “actual
person standing before [him/her].”
3. As you are watching the movie, refer to the character list (attached). Make note on
the list of the different relationships between characters and how various characters
are linked together in the film.
POST MOVIE QUESTIONS
1. Why do you think Rick, the District Attorney, wanted to cover up the fact that his car
was stolen by two black men? Were his ideas for “handling” the situation appropriate?
Why or why not?
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2. When the Thayer's were pulled over by Officer John Ryan, Mr. Thayer chose to
apologize to avoid being arrested? What were the consequences? Do you think he
made the right decision? Why or why not?
3.
What do you think pushed Officer John Ryan to risk his own life to save Mrs. Thayer?
4. Who was responsible for the death of Graham Waters' brother? Officer Hansen
(Tommy)? Graham? His mother? Himself? Please discuss your reasons.
5. Do you think that opinions like Officer John Ryan can be changed? How?
6. What character(s) did you like the least? Why?
7. What character(s) did you like the most? Why?
8. Crash is a pretty powerful film. What point do you think the movie maker was trying to
say?
9. Is there a character in this film with whom it is impossible for us to sympathize?
Who? Why?
10. Haggis makes sure that his film evidences various racial and ethnic stereotypes to
which people ascribe. However, the script plays with these stereotypes, twisting them
to show how they are patently false and, yet, how they can also be true. Choose one of
these stereotypes presented in the film and discuss how the movie evidences this
“twisting.”
11. At the end of the film, we are presented with several shots that cut from character
to character. Each character in these shots is gazing into the night from behind glass.
What might the directors/editors be arguing about the themes of “connectedness”
and/or “disconnectedness” in these shots?
12. How did your opinion of Jack Ryan change as the film progressed? Do you think he is
justified in his racism? How do you think his rescuing of Christine affects both his
worldview and our opinion of him? Why?
13. How does Jack Ryan’s behaviour ultimately affect Tommy, even when they’re no longer
work partners? What was your reaction to Tommy and Peter’s car journey together?
How would you have responded if you had been Tommy? Why?
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Film study
14. ‘We’re not safe from ourselves, we’re not safe from our prejudices or others’
prejudices.’ (Sandra Bullock, on the themes of the film, Behind the Scenes DVD
featurette). Do you agree with this statement? What events happen in the film to
support this? Can you think of a time when you have been aware of your own prejudices
towards others? Have you ever been affected by the prejudices of others? How can
prejudice be overcome?
15. . In the last line of his review, Roger Ebert says, “You may have to look hard to see it,
but Crash is a film about progress” (“rogerebert.com”). How is this film about
progression and towards what does the film evidence its characters moving? Create an
argument that answers this question, and support it with specific filmic evidence.
“Crash” – Summary
(http://www.damaris.org/content/content.php?type=5&id=452)
Crash is a complex film in which the characters lives intersect and crisscross throughout the
day, spelling tragedy for some and a fresh start for others. It was mostly well received by
critics on its 2004 release. Angie Baldassarre for Sympatico.Ca writes: ‘Exceptional
performances and a powerful multi-layered script make for simmering racial drama.’ It has
been compared by some to Magnolia (1999) due to the complex plot and multiple characters,
though there is some division over which is the better film. Tim Appelo in Seattle Weekly
writes: ‘Though it lacks Magnolia’s messy greatness, you won’t hear more fiendishly articulate
dialogue on-screen any time soon.’
The story revolves around the lives of a diverse cross-section of the LA population as they
collide one fateful day. District Attorney Rick Cabot (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Jean
(Sandra Bullock) are carjacked by two young black men, Anthony (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges),
who sees racism everywhere in life, and Peter (Larenz Tate), his exasperated friend. After
the incident, Jean is paranoid and suspicious of other races, and suspects the Mexican
locksmith Daniel (Michael Pena) will give their new keys to his friends to break into their
house. Daniel, meanwhile, tries to cure his young daughter’s fear of bullets and has to deal
with irate Persian storeowner Farhad (Shaun Toub) who employs Daniel to fix his door locks.
The two have an argument when Farhad refuses to get a new door despite the old one not
being secure. Later, the store is broken into and smashed up. Armed with his recently bought
gun, Farhad goes to confront Daniel.
Meanwhile, racist cop Jack Ryan (Matt Dillon) and his idealistic young work partner Tommy
Hansen (Ryan Phillippe) pull over black couple Cameron (Terrence Howard) and Christine
Thayer (Thandie Newton). After threatening to arrest them and then molesting Christine,
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Jack lets the pair off with a warning. Tommy, disgusted but powerless to stop him, has to
watch. When they get home, Christine and Cameron fight as she is furious at how her
husband stood by and let Jack touch her. Tommy asks for a transfer to another work
partner, unable to deal with Jack’s racist behaviour but unable to report him, knowing what
this would do to his own career. During all this, Jack struggles with caring for his ill father
who lost his job because minority-only companies began getting preference in city contracts.
After an attempted reconciliation with her hurt husband, Christine’s car crashes and
overturns on the road, and Jack is the only officer around to help her.
Black police detective Graham (Don Cheadle) has to contend with his mother’s constant
requests for him to find his missing criminal brother, and his romantic relationship with his
white work partner Ria (Jennifer Esposito). He also has to decide whether or not to take a
corrupt deal from Rick Cabot’s aid Flanagan (William Fichtner) when faced with what could
have been a racially motivated crime.
One of the key issues in Crash is racial prejudice and people’s reactions to it. Every strand of
the story is affected by racial prejudice in some way, demonstrating misunderstandings of
race and the effect this has on people’s lives. Many of the characters prejudge what a person
is going to be like before getting to know them due to their race. The man who sells Farhad
the gun yells at him about the terrorist attacks (mistaking Farhad for Iraqi when he is in fact
Persian), whilst Anthony points out that Jean draws closer to her husband when walking past
him and Peter, assuming that they’re going to hurt her. Crash confronts the viewer with
examples of how racial prejudice, whilst perhaps not as obvious and strong as it once was, is
still present in society. It challenges the viewer to see if they recognise themselves in
characters such as Jean. It suggests that there is prejudice in everyday life and we either
don’t see it or choose to ignore it.
The issues raised in Crash are also relevant to thinking about judgment and prejudice in
society in general. Whilst Crash focuses on racial prejudice, there are other prejudices still
present in society against all kinds of people (gender, sexuality etc). It suggests that we still
judge other people on exterior appearances and that this affects the choices and decisions
we make. Whilst most of us would probably insist that we don’t judge on appearances, Crash
seems to suggest that we still do whether we realise it or not. It also seems to suggest that
these attitudes can be changed and improved (in Jack Ryan’s case, for example), but that
they can also be passed on without people even realizing it (in Tommy Hansen’s behaviour).
A better example of how to counter these attitudes of prejudice can be found in the Bible
where there are many stories of Jesus reaching out to those who are marginalized in society.
He sits with lepers, prostitutes and tax collectors - the people that no one wanted anything
to do with at that time. He sets an example of tolerance and of ignoring people’s prejudices,
of just accepting people as people. This is a very different attitude to the ones featured in
Crash and the one that perhaps we should adopt in our own lives.
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List of Characters from Crash
Character’s Name
Played by (Actor’s Name)
Graham Waters
Don Cheadle
African-American detective investigating
shooting of Detective Lewis
Ria
Jennifer Esposito
El Salvadorian/Puerto Rican detective also
on the Lewis case; she and Graham are
romantically involved.
Rick
Brendan Fraser
Caucasian district attorney whose SUV is
carjacked near the beginning of the movie
Jean
Sandra Bullock
Rick’s uptight wife
Maria
Yomi Perry
Rick and Jean’s Latina housekeeper/nanny
Anthony
Chris “Ludacris” Bridges
Young African-American man who steals
cars & tries to educate his friend, Peter, on
various forms of racism
Peter
Larenz Tate
Graham’s younger brother & Anthony’s
friend. He likes hockey, is later shot
by Officer Hanson
Cameron
Terrence Howard
African-American TV director who is
harrassed by Officer Ryan in a traffic stop
Christine
Thandie Newton
Cameron’s wife who is sexually molested by
Officer Ryan during a traffic stop (& later
rescued by him after a car crash)
Officer Ryan
Matt Dillon
Caucasian officer on the LAPD for 17 years
who has obvious racial prejudices
Officer Hanson
Ryan Phillipe
Rookie cop who no longer wants to ride
with Ryan. Hanson later helps Cameron go
with a warning but then shoots Peter after
he picks him up as a hitchhiker.
Daniel
Michael Pena
Latino locksmith who gives his 5-year-old
daughter an “impenetrable cloak”
Lara
Ashlyn Sanchez
Daniel’s 5-year-old daughter
Elizabeth
Karina Arroyave
Daniel’s wife/ Lara’s mother
Farhad
Shaun Toub
Iranian storeowner who tries to shoot Daniel
but who ends up “shooting” Lara
Shereen
Marina Sirtis
Farhad’s wife
Brief Description of Character
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Dorri
Bahar Soomekh
Farhad & Shereen’s daughter. She
works in the medical field & does not
want her father to have a gun (She buys
“blanks”).
Choi
Greg Joung Paik
Korean man who is hit by Anthony
and Peter as they are driving the
Lincoln Navigator
Kim Lee
Alexis Ree
Choi’s wife (She’s also the woman
involved in the car crash with Ria &
Graham at the beginning of the film.)
Shaniqua Johnson
Lorretta Devine
African-American woman who is the
supervisor of health insurance claims.
She has Officer Ryan thrown out of
her office.
Fred
Tony Danza
Caucasian man who works with
Cameron at the TV studio & asks
him to reshoot a scene because a
character didn’t sound “black enough.”
Lieutenant Dixon
Keith David
African-American LAPD lieutenant
who advises Officer Hanson to say
he has “uncontrollable flatulence” in
order to get out of riding with Ryan
Detective Conklin
Martine Norseman
Caucasian police officer who is being
accused of shooting Detective Lewis
Detective Lewis
African-American detective who was
shot in a car belonging to someone
else. Large sums of $ ($300,000?)
were discovered in spare tire of car.
Flanagan
William Fichtner
Works for D.A. Rick, tries to
persuade Graham to say that Conklin
shot Lewis (Such a statement would
politically benefit the D.A.)
Graham’s mother
Beverly Todd
Graham’s mother who blames him
for his brother’s death since she
thinks that Graham was “too busy”
to bother looking for his brother like
she had asked him to do.
Gunstore owner
Jack McGee
Owner of gunstore who hurls ethnic
slurs at Farhad & then makes
sexually suggestive comments toward
Farhad’s daughter, Dorri.