115 - Crash (1996)

DVD Box
Crash investigates a cult that become sexually aroused by car crashes.

James Ballard (James Spader) and his wife, Catherine (Deborah Kara Unger), lead very open sex lives, but when James is involved in a car crash and is left scarred he discovers a raw sexual energy with fellow victim Helen Remington (Holly Hunter).

James is transported into a sub-world of his new found sexual desire where leader Vaughan (Elias Koteas) shows that the cult feeds from the fetish of car accidents.
Theatrical Poster
Source: Wikipedia
If I'm completely honest, I was just going to write "What. The. F***" and be done with it, but decided that it wasn't too much to put on my critic hat and do some, well, criticising.

To open, Crash is a marmite film; you'll love it or you'll hate it. I was aware before I sat down to watch the film that it consisted of people getting their kicks from smashing their cars into other road users and in that respect I wasn't disappointed. There is a lot of twisted metal, a lot of twisted limbs and a lot of twisted sex. Don't expect anything in the way of storyline.

The easiest way to become well known is to be controversial in front of a lot of people (just ask Lindsay Lohan, Jeremy Clarkson or Graham Poll for three completely different ways to upset people). In the same breath, controversial movies have always been a quick fire way to become a renowned director and Crash joins the list that includes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Clockwork Orange and Monty Python's Life of Brian. Naturally, with fame comes popularity in some circles.

In some ways it's to be commended that director David Cronenberg has taken on the project and converted the book of the same name (by James Ballard) onto the big screen. If the book is anything like the film then it's probably just filled with pictures and is probably about 10 pages long. Allegedly though, the book deals with how people should err on the side of caution in such matters in which case Cronenberg completely missed the point.

I don't think I'm being too left-wing; I'm pleased we live in a culture where such individuality can be expressed but, bizarrely enough this film is a little polemic, even for me. So, if you're the member of a frowned-upon cult, enjoy having sex with bizarre objects or get your kicks from smashing your car into other, sometimes, unwilling participants in your fun, this is the film for you.

I'm not.

Star

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