Crash

There is no true hero or villain in writer/director Paul Haggis’ intense character study, since each of his realistic characters exhibits elements of both good and evil. In a Altman-esque round-about storytelling style, an uptight rich bitch (Sandra Bullock), a stubborn Iranian shopkeeper, a corrupt LAPD officer (Matt Dillon), two African-American carjackers, an indifferent homicide detective (Don Cheadle) and others use verbal shock-treatment techniques of blatant racist and class prejudices as one person’s story "crashes" into another’s. Throughout this depiction of a volatile urban pressure cooker, humanity and compassion manage to seep through all of the inhumanity and hatred. Haggis received an Oscar nomination last year for his work on Million Dollar Baby, and did again with this bold and thought-provoking piece.