Crash Family Review

Los Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.Over a thirty-six hour period in Los Angeles, a handful of disparate people's lives intertwine as they deal with the tense race relations that belie life in the city. Among the players are: the Caucasian district attorney, who uses race as a political card; his Caucasian wife, who, having recently been carjacked by two black men, believes that her stereotypical views of non-whites is justified and cannot be considered racism; the two black carjackers who use their race both to their advantage and as an excuse; partnered Caucasian police constables, one who is a racist and uses his authority to harass non-whites, and the other who hates his partner because of those racist views, but who may have the same underlying values in his subconscious; a black film director and his black wife, who believes her husband doesn't support their black background enough, especially in light of an incident with the racist white cop; partnered police detectives and sometimes lovers, one Hispanic female and the other black male, the latter who is dealing with a drugged out mother that feels he isn't concerned enough about taking care of family; an East Asian man who is run over but who is hiding some valuable cargo in the back of his van; a Persian store owner, who feels he isn't getting satisfaction from American society when his store is robbed time and time again; and a Hispanic locksmith, who just wants to keep his family, especially his young daughter, safe in a seemingly unsafe world.—HuggoSet in Los Angeles, California, a vivid tapestry of people, coming from both sides of the tracks, unfolds. Detective Graham and his partner, Ria, investigate a potentially racially motivated crime. Meanwhile, desperate Persian shop owner Farhad seeks protection in all the wrong places. Elsewhere in the city, District Attorney Rick and his wife Jean fall prey to a pair of carjackers linked to Park, a Korean man. Then, prejudice affects Hispanic locksmith Daniel Ruiz. After crossing paths with TV director Flanagan and his wife, Christine, bigoted veteran police officer Sergeant Ryan locks horns with his rookie partner, Officer Hanson. As racism, hostility, hatred, and fear become inextricably intertwined with the lives of everyone involved, the perfect strangers are bound to crash into each other over the next 36 long hours.—Nick RiganasSeveral stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of inter-related characters, a police detective with a drugged out mother and a thieving younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly theorizing on society and race, the white district attorney and his irritated and pampered wife, a racist white veteran cop (caring for a sick father at home) who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful Hollywood director and his wife who must deal with the racist cop, a Persian-immigrant father who buys a gun to protect his shop, a Hispanic locksmith and his young daughter who is afraid of bullets, and more.—Martin Lewison <[email protected]>