Crash: 2-Disc Director's Edition

 

At the world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, Paul Haggis jokingly apologized to David Cronenberg for not coming up with a better, more original title for his feature directorial debut. Truthfully, Crash is the most appropriate title for this incredible film, a film that deserves the title of 'Best Film of the Year'.

 

When I first reviewed Crash last year I said that it was one of the best films of the year and that it should considered for an award. It features an ensemble cast of exceptional performances, beautiful cinematography, and a well-crafted script that is both emotional and shocking. The film, which is about race relations in a post-9/11 Los Angeles, where the lives of several characters collide through a series of events, will keep you entralled throughout. Crash will pull you in early and will not let go until the very end. And when it does end, you will not be able to forget it.

 

A year after its release, I'm more than happy to say I told you so! Not only did it win an award, it won THE award: the Oscar for the Best Picture of the Year! It is a very deserving title, and it is probably the first time I actually agreed with Best Picture Oscar choice in a long time now. When Crash was picked for the award, no one expected it (even me); it shocked, surprised, and strangely enough angered many people.

 

Then came the backlash.

 

It’s surprises me how many people stood up and went out of their way to say how much they hated this film. Some have said the film is pretentious, manipulative, dubious, and even poorly written. Some are even calling it one of the worst Best Picture winners of all time. Were they watching something else? I can understand not liking a film, even though it may be a good film, but to say that this film is actually not a good film and is undeserving of its acclaim is baffling to me. Whether or not they were actually watching the same film is trivial at this point, because there’s only one fact that needs to be said here: Crash is the best film of the year! Deal with it!

 

Due to the success of the film, Lionsgate has re-released Paul Haggis’ tale of racism and high tension Los Angeles with a new double-disc Director’s Cut. When it was first announced that this DVD release would contain the director’s cut, many people were up in arms about the shorter run time (the original release is 122 minutes, the director’s cut is 115 minutes). The version originally released on DVD is the version bought by Lionsgate after the premiere screening at the Toronto Film Festival, and was subsequently released into theatres. To have it ready for the festival, Haggis had to scramble to finish the film on time. Because it was rushed, Haggis was never completely satisfied with the cut.

 

Thanks to this re-release, Haggis went back and re-edited the film to give it a more natural flow that he originally wanted. Is it that different? Not really. Some scenes were extended while others shortened; you’ll notice them if you are looking for it. Essentially, this is a true director’s cut, which doesn’t have to be longer than the theatrical cut, it just has to be a version the director is happy with. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?

 

The DVD boasts the same excellent transfer as last time, as well as a new 6.1 DTS ES track as well as a 5.1 Dolby Digital EX track, both which sound absolutely amazing and is a vast improvement from the previous release. Haggis provides the same redundant DVD Introduction as last time, and the commentary is the same informative track found on the previous DVD release, with Haggis chiming in on the director’s cut at a couple of points. On disc two, there are four featurettes, including the EPK-style making-of featurette that’s a little more thorough this time around, a featurette about Haggis that is rather enlightening and surprisingly not an adoration piece, and two more very compelling featurettes; one is about Los Angeles and its troubled history, and one is more of a discussion piece about racism and its impact on our culture. It’s nice to see some featurettes that actually have some substance. Other features on disc two include deleted scenes with optional commentary, script-to-screen comparisons, storyboard-to-screen comparisons, a music video, and some needless music montages.

 

Crash is truly an amazing film, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you have no idea what you’re missing. Powerful and provocative, it’s not just one of the best films of the year; it IS the best film of the year! This Director’s Cut edition of Crash is conveniently released after its win, so you can technically call it an awards edition. No, it’s not the same cut, as the one the Academy picked to win for Best Picture, but it’s not that much different either. If you have the original DVD release, it probably wouldn’t hurt to get this director’s cut edition, but you won’t need it unless you want the extra features. It’s hard to recommend which version to get, as both versions are excellent and are not that much different. It all depends on what you prefer: a single-disc theatrical edition or a two-disc director’s cut edition. I give a slight edge to the Director’s Cut edition. But no matter what you pick, the movie itself is what makes it worth getting.

 

And for the record, Crash didn’t win because Hollywood is still homophobic; it won because it was a better film. Period.

 

 

Movie:  *****

DVD: *****