Stereotypes In The Movie Crash

The timeless film Crash, has been known for its substantial intensity and unforgettable actions. Many reviews on the film have been rather harsh because of the multiple narrative tactic, which jumps from scene to scene not allowing any development of theme or evolving characters. Others would argue that the multiple characters with different lives unknowingly crashing into each other helps develop the theme of the movie. The stories of the individuals are woven together and one can see how exactly we effect each other even though we have never met. The movie Crash greatly benefits from having a multiple narrative as it exposes much character development and essential themes.
Each of the characters in the movie Crash have different perspectives

on life as well as different social groups each is involved in, but they are all connected in some way. This style of a multiple narrative helps the audience focus on the important parts of the characters’ lives, every minute is essential. One of the main characters, Anthony, is greatly developed throughout the film, from a black male thug to a respectable man. Anthony is an African-American inner-city car robber who steals vehicles for a narrow-minded chop shop owner. He thinks that society is unfairly subjective against blacks, and at one point in the film he validates his actions by saying he wouldn’t steal from his own kind. This all begins when the he and Peter are walking down the street in a predominately white area in L.A. A white woman (Sandra Bullock) sees the two black men and immediately shutters because she is taken back and scared of their appearance and dress. She was correct in being scared as they put the couple at gun point and highjack the vehicle. He steals cars because he feels that he must fit his stereotype even though he wants to be seen as a normal citizen. His character is too afraid to change his performance because he feels that no matter what he does to change, he will always be seen as a thug. He attempts to car jack another car during the film but soon faces a reality check. As Anthony tries to steal his car, he is outdone by the fact that Cameron is the same race, driving this luxury SUV. Cameron ruins Anthony’s attempt and ends up teaching Anthony that not all stereotypes are true.

After the carjacking, a repulsed Cameron kicks Anthony out of his car and says "You embarrass me. You embarrass yourself." After the incident Anthony steals a van full of illegal immigrants that he later buys because the chop shop was going to sell them off as slaves. He finds it in his heart to release them and gave them all the money he had, 40 dollars. In that moment he became a changed person after rescuing the immigrants that could have been victims of human trafficking. Cameron showed him that being black doesn’t mean he has to be a thug which happened to give Anthony the strength to make the right moral decision and save lives. Another character that greatly evolved is Officer John Ryan, a bigoted white police officer with the greatest racism out of all the characters. In the beginning he is shown physically molesting Christine Thayer, a black woman, during a traffic stop. His racial prejudices seem to stem from the negative impact that local affirmative action policies had on his father's business. As if that wasn’t enough, his father was diagnosed with a bladder infection despite prior useless treatments. His anger towards his father’s condition has manifested into prejudice, which he then reveals towards a HMO employee. His racist

attitude does not help the situation, his father no being able to seek out of network physicians. This touching matter shows his character evolving into a caring person, with love for his father wishing to get better. Later he puts his own life in danger but saving the woman he soon realizes is the same woman he molested a few days before. It seems that he gives her life at the risk of his own, proving that he cannot be a total racist sexual assaulter he was a couple days ago. Later in the film we see him with his father again, suffering worse than before. He is last seen as a compassionate man, showing his family issues has been his reasons for being racist and we should forgive him.
Many themes are portrayed in the film all based on the numerous characteristics of prejudice. Racism is one of the most common themes in the film. Officer Ryan, whose father lost is janitorial business, is angry towards African-Americans. This is now a belief of the police man that black people ruin everything. He physically molests a black woman named Christine to indulge in his racist views and give them what they deserve. Stereotyping is another theme showing how prejudice people can be but also showing how stereotyping makes people feel obligated to play the part. For instance, the white District Attorney’s wife distrusts the locksmith, believing he is a gang member that’s going to sell a copy of her house key because of his origin. Or the African-American, Anthony that felt like he had to steal cars because he was black, so why change right? Class inequality between the characters is another theme developed throughout the story line. We learn that the black director and his wife live in the upper class based on income and education. The African-America detective having to deal with a mother using drugs and a brother faced with criminal charges while he desperately achieves a middle class income. The DA and his wife live in Brentwood, a wealthy area where people can afford nannies and housekeepers but complain about them, in this case Latina woman with a struggling family of her own. Out of all these themes it’s respectable to cover inhumanity, something graphically yet respectably shown throughout the movie. The policeman physically molests and sexually humiliates a black woman. The HMO woman denies service to a suffering man as an angry man uses his gun to get revenge with an innocent man. The film also brushes on the topic of human trafficking but was avoided for the group in the white van. All these themes provide lessons we can learn from and things to be aware of.
The film Crash is very different from other films as it has a rather impartial way of approaching issues. The characters show how victims of racism are sometimes show to be racist themselves in different situations. This gives us an understanding as to where these racist ideas stem from; ignorance and misconception. The cross-section of “crash” these characters encounter through their daily lives shows us just how much we can affect each other without even knowing one another. This film developed many themes and had wonderful evolving characters that can teach us as well as show us a world we never really think about.