Crash

Play trailer

Crash

R

2005

1h 52m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

239 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Writer-director Paul Haggis interweaves several connected stories about race, class, family and gender in Los Angeles in the aftermath of 9/11. Characters include a district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his casually prejudiced wife (Sandra Bullock), dating police detectives Graham (Don Cheadle) and Ria (Jennifer Esposito), a victimized Middle Eastern store owner and a wealthy African-American couple (Terrence Dashon Howard, Thandie Newton) humiliated by a racist traffic cop (Matt Dillon).

Critics Consensus

A raw and unsettling morality piece on modern angst and urban disconnect, Crash examines the dangers of bigotry and xenophobia in the lives of interconnected Angelenos.

Read Critics Reviews

Jonathan Romney

Independent on Sunday

02/28/2018

If there's anything worse than a film with no point, it's one that's all point and nothing but.

Go to Full Review

Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

02/23/2015

Instead of heartwarming messages about forgiveness, it honours ambiguity and brings us close, closer than is comfortable, in fact, to what Americans today are really thinking about one another.

Go to Full Review

Stanley Kauffmann

The New Republic

02/23/2015

[Crash] is familiar enough that it slips easily into our film-watching faculty without any fuss, yet [Haggis'] handling of it -- his muscular belief in what he is doing -- makes us hope that his next screenplay will be a bit less safe.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

03/02/2025

2.5/4

The weakest of all five Best Picture Oscar nominees (not just Brokeback Mountain) for 2005, it's still a relevant movie that would have been even better had Haggis eased up on the gas every once in a while.

Go to Full Review

Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

06/27/2023

Crash is a bit too on the nose as it addresses racial tensions without much subtlety. The score, cinematography, and acting are all pretty outstanding, but it isn’t enough to save the tone-deaf Crash from feeling extremely contrived and overbearing.

Go to Full Review

Cody Dericks

Next Best Picture

06/29/2022

4/10

Hampered by unrealistic dialogue and unpleasant characters, it delivers its portrayal of a world that needs changing in the most aggressive and obvious way possible.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

David H

@DavidQHarris Apr 23

I watched about half of this film and then decided to give it up. There just didn't seem to be any point to it. Plus it was slow-moving and just generally kind of boring.

See more

Steven F.

@SteveGotScored Apr 14

Such a powerful drama movie!

See more

Jason W

@RT17982015 Mar 26

I don't see the appeal. The acting and cinematography are like something out of a cheap soap opera. The setups and payoffs and character arcs are laughable. The moral messages are so ham fisted and cliched that they come across as humorous. Any scenes meant to be uncomfortable or emotional range from painfully boring to outright cringe. How it made it anywhere near an Oscar, let alone winning for best picture is beyond me. I'd sooner watch a Neil Breen film, at least then I'd be entertained by garbage instead of just suffering through it.

See more

Virginia I

@RT66815901 Mar 18

I saw this when it first came out and have seen it 4 or 5 times since. I know it was controversial to some, but I thought it was brilliant. Yes there were racial issues brought into the film. However, the message I took from it was more about people in generaI. I think it portrayed beautifully how a person can have both good and evil within them. We are all complicated as human beings, and no one is perfect. Acting is superb..what an amazing cast!

See more

Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 1

Success in 1 hour and 52 minutes. The 2006 Academy Award winner for Best Picture.

See more

Priscila D

@Pepperspray Feb 8

Incredibility well written. Confronts the audience with all our prejudices.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Paul Haggis

Director

Sandra Bullock

Jean

Don Cheadle

Graham

Matt Dillon

Officer Ryan

Jennifer Esposito

Ria

William Fichtner

Flanagan

View more videos

The United States of Leland

33%

81%

The United States of Leland

Watchlist

The Event

44%

52%

The Event

Watchlist

21 Grams

80%

86%

21 Grams

Watchlist

The Assassination of Richard Nixon

67%

69%

The Assassination of Richard Nixon

Watchlist

A Love Song for Bobby Long

44%

80%

A Love Song for Bobby Long

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Know Your Critic: Writer and Editor Nicolas Rapold

New on Netflix October 2019

Aldis Hodge’s Five Favorite Films

View more photos

Synopsis

Writer-director Paul Haggis interweaves several connected stories about race, class, family and gender in Los Angeles in the aftermath of 9/11. Characters include a district attorney (Brendan Fraser) and his casually prejudiced wife (Sandra Bullock), dating police detectives Graham (Don Cheadle) and Ria (Jennifer Esposito), a victimized Middle Eastern store owner and a wealthy African-American couple (Terrence Dashon Howard, Thandie Newton) humiliated by a racist traffic cop (Matt Dillon).

Director: Paul Haggis
Producer: Cathy Schulman, Tom Nunan, Mark R. Harris, Don Cheadle, Paul Haggis, Bobby Moresco
Screenwriter: Paul Haggis, Bobby Moresco
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Bull's Eye Entertainment
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Language|Some Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 6, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 4, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $54.6M
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)