Under the heavy influence of John Sayles director/screenwriter Paul Haggis bookends his mosaic about Los Angeles racial tensions around fender benders, but don't expect similar subtlety in Crash. He lets loose with a groaner of a metaphor in the opening when Don Cheadle (playing homicide detective Graham) announces the theme: "What's missing in L.A., he says, is the sense of touch: Everyone is always behind metal and glass. We crash just so we can feel something." More lines like this and we'd be convinced that Haggis had resurrected an old script from his high school English class. Fortunately, he recovers immediately and delivers a highly compelling drama that is brought to life by an ensemble cast that reflects the Hollywood acting community--from high profile box office draws to fine character actors.

Just off writing the Million Dollar Baby screenplay, Haggis remains far less subtle than Spike Lee's jabs at racism and classism, pummeling us with the message in every scene. Upper class and white collar whites and blacks blatantly display stereotypic views of each other while similar vignettes of Hispanics, Persians (mistaken for Arabs), and Asians fill out the film's palate. To avoid accusations of political correctness, Haggis turns to Hitchcock for the proper perspective--showing us how each of his characters are complex mixtures of good and evil. Only one of the major characters is pure; most are held back by political realities or underlying prejudice, and the "bad" guys have a good side--a great sense of humor, long held religious values, a sense of humanism for the underclass, heroism in the face of danger.

After the opening salvo, we are thankfully introduced to the comic relief of hip-hop artist Ludacris and Laranz Tate bantering about their improbable setting as the only black dudes in upscale white terrain. They spot an "over caffeinated" white couple (Sandra Bullock and Brendan Fraser) nervously heading for their black Lincoln Navigator, and suddenly handguns superimpose the comedy with a carjacking. As Los Angeles' D.A. Fraser berates their bad fortune in terms of potential lost voting blocks, "Why did they have to be black?" while his bitchy wife rants against his poor judgment in hiring a tattooed Hispanic locksmith (Michael Pena) to secure their house since he "obviously" will hand over the keys to his barrio gang. Ironicly, this locksmith has just moved out of a bullet ridden section to protect his own family, and Bullock has projected her prejudices on the film's flesh and blood St. Christopher (a plastic figurine plays important cameos to tie other characters together).

Another plot line follows a veteran of LA's finest (Matt Dillon), who initially becomes irritated with LA's public health service when he can't get them to care for his father's severe urinary infection. When turned down over the phone by an agent named Shaniqua (Loretta Devine) his frustrations boil over and he clobbers the practice of affirmative action. It's little wonder that his racial views carry over to the job, and he horrifies his good hearted rookie partner (Ryan Phillippe) when he pulls over an upper class black couple (Thandie Newton and Terrance Howard) in a black Ford Expedition for a sexual indisgression and proceeds to fondle the man's wife to humiliate him. This leads to further improbable scenes that balance all four characters, who serve more as plot devices than realistic people.

A black supervisor points out the political consequences of Phillippe's small civil rights gesture, transforming his transfer request into a literal flatulence joke. Phillippe gets two more chances to absolve himself, only to see his good intentions backfire badly. On the other hand, Dillon heroically redeems himself in a totally contrived situation that is only saved by the sincerity of his acting. This is the most blatant illustration of the internal conflict of good and evil that everyone can relate to, but this also applies to the other characters and scenarios. A dedicated family man seeking the American dream, a Persian merchant (Shaun Toub) erroneously seeks revenge when robbed while an "innocent" Asian traffic victim is actually engaged in exploiting his own people. But this gives one of the car jackers his own moment of atonement.

Tightly constructed, we realize that the seemingly random "crashes" are composed for dramatic effect, but the vignettes supply enough substance to allow us to actually care for many of the characters. And if there's one that doesn't relate, the scenes are short enough that they won't irritate you too long. I was especially drawn towards the locksmith's touching scenes with his young daughter when he presents her with beautiful fable about an invisible protective shield that has a huge payoff later; this is Haggis at his best--the quick jabs followed by the left hook. Similarly, the small moments with Don Cheadle secretly taking care of his junkie mother are also as sweet as his subtle facial gestures--the mark of a consummate actor.

Racism in LA is hardly a new subject, especially brought to the forefront by the O.J. Simpson trial and the Rodney King incident, but it's an issue well worth revisiting as it remains the ugly underbelly of American society. So an entertaining and often bludgeoning treatment really isn't out of line to draw attention to our most challenging issue. But it's the small moments in Crash that stand out, whether this comes from many strong acting performances by the well cast ensemble, from one of Laranz Tate's humorous quips, or even an ironic Sandra Bullock hug. These elements all work well enough together to make for a worthwhile adult experience, all the more compelling with the summer popcorn season rapidly approaching.