OK, this ain’t naturalism–any “three degrees of separation” ensemble drama set in the vast wastelands of Los Angeles has to be a total fantasy, right? Crash‘s politics are of the knee-jerk variety but the performances are strong, the editing clean and the sentimental moments few and far-between and well earned (absolutely needed given the film’s bleak outlook on humanity). It was worth six bucks, but I don’t think you’d be missing anything if you waited for the DVD. That being said, I was moved by the film. Haggis offers up a gut-punching script which keeps picking at scabs only to reveal deeper wounds, and such polemics make for a viscerally emotional ride. In the end Crash is a B+ movie with a fine cast (in particular, Terrence Howard, Ryan Phillipe and Matt Dillon) who are guided by a no-nonsense directing style that works. I’d rather America be watching more films like this than those in which Tom Cruise or Nicholas Cage save the world.