Preview

The Movie Crash

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1400 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Movie Crash
CRITICAL ESSAY ON "CRASH"

The film "Crash" written and directed by Paul Haggis was taken place in Los Angeles. This movie illustrates how discrimination and prejudice has affected our everyday lives, due to the misconceptions we have of each other. All the characters in this movie are either victims of prejudice and discrimination or are guilty of it. To help us give more understanding about this movie I am comparing the movie Crash to Joseph Healey textbook, Race, Ethnicity, Gender & Class.

In this movie we see a wide range and depth of prejudice and discrimination and it is not only the whites who are prejudice or discriminate but also minorities who are prejudiced and discriminate against other minorities. For better understanding first
…show more content…
Another term from Healey 's book that is closely related to the movie Crash is "Selective Perception," which means that "people often see what they expect to see, so stereotypes are often confirmed in a vicious circle." The example can relate to Officer Hansen; from the first scene he is in, we can tell that he is not prejudiced and it seemed to me that Officer Hansen doesn 't have lots of experience with people outside of his race. In the movie he helps Peter, who is walking on the road side, by offering him a lift. This was the first time Officer Hansen seen prejudiced in the whole movie. Peter began laughing without explanation and Officer Hansen asked him to leave the car. Peter wanted to show him what he had in his pocket that was so funny. While Peter was reaching in his pocket, Offer Hansen panicked and shot Peter, who was innocent. That was the first time Officer Hansen had shown prejudiced; even though he was shown as a good man in the movie, he end up killing an innocent man. I think Office Hansen shot peter because he was afraid that his own life might be in a risk. Officer Hansen thought Peter was reaching his pocket for some kind of weapon and in seconds he made his decision and fire at

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    During two class sessions, we have viewed the movie Crash. In this particular movie, victims and offenders are shown to be victims of racism and end up being shown as a racist under different circumstances. This shows various characters of different backgrounds and ethnicities going through a certain roadblock in their lives due to a personal matter that may be because of a racial thought.…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the 2004 film Crash, writer and director Paul Haggis presents a complex story that intertwines characters of differentiating races, ethnicities, cultures, genders, and socio-economic backgrounds. It explores the controversial topics of stereotypical racial clashes and cultural diversity in the American society. The plot takes the viewer on a 36 hour, voyeuristic journey into the lives of whites, blacks, Latinos, Koreans, Iranians, cops, and criminals, both upper and lower class. Haggis showcases characters that cross paths revealing the various complexities of the prejudices and racisms that are ingrained in interrelationships.…

    • 1822 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The movie Crash, written and directed by Paul Haggins, shows many forms of diversity, stereotyping and racism. Each race is represented throughout the movie and blatantly displays racial discrimination and ethnocentrism.…

    • 1311 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Movies are a powerful outlet to depict certain racial observations. Theaters insulate moviegoers in a cocoon-like setting with little distractions. This setting is an ideal situation to sway an audience. Movies can desensitize people to issues and shift public attitudes through influence. While there are many real scenarios portrayed in fictional film, to say that movies similar to Crash are completely accurate portrayals of reality is an oversight. The movie Crash, directed by Paul Haggis, is an attempt to accurately portray the various racial, ethnic, and racial stereotypes within the cast of characters…

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Movie Crash Essay

    • 1458 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The movie tells stories about racism between whites, blacks, Latinos, Koreans, Iranians, cops and criminals. The different levels of the rich and the poor, the powerful and powerless are also shown in the movie. The lives of the characters crash against each other. The most people feel prejudice and resentment against people of other groups.…

    • 1458 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Movie Crash

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The most powerful scene in this movie is when the Indian man shows up at the end the Spanish mans house still upset his store getting robbed and blaming him for it. The Indian man has a fully loaded revolver. When the Spanish man get out of his work truck, the Indian man walks up and pulls out his gun asking him where his money was. The Spanish man not knowing what he was talking about he went in his pocket and told him he could have the fifty dollars that he had. At the same time all this builds up the Spanish mans daughter is in the houses front doorway looking at he father. The Spanish man had a bond with his daughter about a special gift that they had to wear and she realized that her father was not wearing it. His daughter ran…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sandra Bullock’s character is a great example of how racial attitudes shape behavior. When Sandra and her husband are walking home from dinner, she instantly grabs his arm when she sees two black men walking towards them. She is racist so she immediately assumes that since they are black, they will try to rob them, which coincidentally is exactly what happens. This incident only serves to strengthen her already racist beliefs. When they get home, she is so paranoid that she makes her husband get their…

    • 1385 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Crash

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Crash is highly ambiguous in the depiction of multiculturalism in American society. Almost all the ethnicities depicted in Crash question the perception others have their particular group, but at the same time affirm the different stereotypes surrounding their ethnic group. For example, one of the black characters (‘Anthony’) remarks that they should be afraid in a white neighborhood, due to their group’s association with crime. Following this intelligent observation, he and his friend (‘Peter’) proceed to steal a car from a white couple (Rick and Jean Cabot), affirming the stereotype whites have of them. Another example would be the Persian-American father, who is accused by a gun-store owner to be a danger to society, The father denies this fact, but ends up shooting a child.…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On The Movie Crash

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the movie crash we were taught the example of stereotyping based on appearance of a person. Everyone is created with good hearts, but unfortunately as we grow older we get to know the prejudices of the real world. In reality we experience first impressions depending on our ethnicity. In the movie Crash the example of the Mexican as a locksmith fixing a door for a white family, and the wife judges him based on his tattoos accusing him that he will sell her key to one of his gangbanger friends to break in her house. The truth is there is many Hispanics that work for their family to live a better life. The true values of someone can't be predicted based on their appearance and it is…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Movie Crash Analysis

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The screenplay Crash, talks about character Cameron Thayer who is a fictional black man that is well educated and comes from a wealthy family (Haggis). He is pinned to be a troublemaker by a cop because of the color of his skin and is pulled over. He and his wife are taken advantage of as the cop inappropriately checks them for weapons or illegal substances. When stereotypes like these are put into affect, they can cause serious emotional harm. White writer P. McIntosh also relates to these assumption in his essay stating, “I can be sure I haven't been singled out because of my race” (McIntosh 1). McIntosh believes that many blacks are taken advantage of and he has the privilege, as a white, not to worry. White people do not have to deal without the privilege they especially have when it comes to the law. The connotations of ones race can be thrust upon them even if they do not wish…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout the movie, Crash, there are many separate instances of examples of aspects of intercultural communication. Some of the many relevant themes are prejudice, scapegoating, culture shock, racial identity, and culture identity, among others. One instance in the movie where prejudice occurs is when the district attorney's wife assumed that the Latino locksmith is a "gang banger" because of the way he dressed, had his hair shaved and had "prison tattoos" on his body. This indicates prejudice because even though someone may look a certain way, it pertains indirectly to how that individual may actually behave regardless of looks. I personally have met someone where they act according to the stereotype given…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    All through time, the globe has been racist and impatient of individuals completely different from themselves. An infinite amount of people have been subjected to suffering because of the intolerance of individuals that could not perceive amendment or variations among each other. Even now, once you are not aware, racism remains a substantial downside. However, it generally is not one person being racist against another, rather one person being racist against oneself. Crash shows a multitude of reasons of how racism against oneself, caused by worry and misunderstanding, is simply as malevolent and evil as racism against another person. Misunderstanding…

    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    By watching the film I have a deep understanding, I know racial distinction is not just by appearance, we don't really know what is race, actually the race is not important, but the race is still bringing great influence on people's lives. This film is about race, not about attitude and behavior of the individual, and in the past in the history of the institutional and policy in the United States is still on the basis of race, through sacrifice others bring interests for groups. The biggest benefit is the white, white we see at the time of life is so happy, but not because of their hard work, but because of their laws, courts, customs, even if the housing is a race.…

    • 1144 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the film, ‘Crash’, Paul Haggis forces us to see other people's perspective of their racially prejudiced actions. Paul Haggis has…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Crash Paper

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Crash displayed various aspects of racism and stereotypes that occur everyday. One of the three major scenes in the movie that stood out was when the two officers pull over a black couple. Obviously they've done nothing completely harmful, reckless or dangerous. The leading officer claims the wife was performing falatio, while driving a vehicle, which could be a form of reckless driving and can be penalized for it. In fear of authority, and in all respect, the husband complies as polite as possible to the officers demands. While doing so, the officer is responding in the rudest manor. He asks the officer if it's okay to reach in the glove department for his paperwork and the officer replies with a very suspicious "yeah nice and slow". Now on the other hand, the other officer takes no part in what goes on next because he knows what's right and wrong, he's deemed the "good" cop. The leading officer comes back to test him if he's drunk and driving and he wasn't. Complying with the officer once again, he did it. His wife, a little drunk, tries to explain in a firm manor that they've done nothing wrong and what he's doing is wrong. Feeling an undermining to his authority, he gets angry and as she gets out of the car to confront him he tells the couple to turn around and place their hands behind their heads. As he pats down his wife, he grabs her inappropriately and asks what should be done since what they've done can technically be seen as a crime. Coming back to complying to an authoritarian figure out of fear and recognition of authority, her husband had one of two choices; he either could've spoken up, done something about it and got arrested or kept quiet, let him do what he knew was wrong and be let off with just a warning. Thinking that he would not win over an authority figure like the cop's word, he didn't say anything and let it happen. This situation brings up "The Authoritarian Personality" from one of the theories of prejudice in which the man complied to…

    • 1105 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays