Crash (2004) Analysis

 

Crash  (2004)

 'Moving at the speed of life, we are bound to collide with each other.'

 This movie is about the lives of Los Angeles citizens within a 36-Hour period. The cast includes people from different ethnic minorities. When they are put in different situations, it shows how they deal with it, how they are involved in it and how they are treated.

It fits into the film genre of Drama as it previews how everyday life is and how different lives come together. 

It is also rated age 15 (R) and above in the UK as it features scenes of sex/nudity, violence/gore, alcohol and drugs etc.

 

Visuals 

Throughout this movie, we see the use of natural settings as the movie is set in the US City of Los Angeles. As it is natural, we see tall and small buildings, roads and homes as this is where it is expected to see people going about their daily lives. Additionally at different times of the movie we also see these different settings at day and night times, this helps to make the movie much more realistic rather than just having it featured in the daytime from start to finish. 

During night time scenes for example in this screenshot when Cameron (Terrence Howard) and his wife Christine (Thandie Newton) are arrested. The use of the street light above the couple and the policemen is effective as it helps to indicate to the audience that all of their attention should be put on them.

 

Technical Codes

The use of technical codes in this movie is very effective as they use a range of camera shots such as close-ups, mid shots and long shots to help portray how each member of the cast is in their situations. 

For example in this screenshot, a bird's eye view shot is used to help the audience see the impact of this incident in a different angle and perspective. It also helps the audience to see how the incident has had an impact of the characters in the scene through how they act such as their movement.  

In this screenshot, the camera shot used is a close-up. This close up is effective as it shows to the audience how Graham (Don Cheadle) and his mother mourn together after the death of Graham's Brother Peter. The close-up portrays Graham's mothers' tears and convey that she is deeply upset and sad however, Graham attempts to be strong for his mother as his facial expressions show he has a strong, stern face.

Audio

The audio used in this movie helps with situations that members of the cast find thereselves in. Sound such as diegetic sounds helps the audience the audience realise how original and realistic scenes within the movie are. For example, the car chase that Cameron, Peter and Anthony were involved in as they were running away from the police. The police siren sounds helped the audience to engage in the scene and also make the scene become realistic as if there wasn't any police sirens, the audience wouldn't feel the tensions and suspsense within the scene as the trio attempt to make a get-away.