Although sharing the same name with the 1996 movie, starring James Spader and directed by David Cronenberg, this tale is as far as can be from that "other" controversial film.

Set in Los Angeles, Crash is a thought provoking tale that revolves around a group of people whose lives are forever intertwined. It follows a variety of different characters that include a Brentwood housewife called Jean (Sandra Bullock) and her DA husband Rick Cabot (Brendan Fraser) who are carjacked by two criminals (Chris Bridges and Larenz Tate).

Add in the stoic "detective" Graham Waters and his partner (Jennifer Esopsito) who are searching for their brother, police officer Tommy Hansen (Ryan Phillipe) and his racist partner John Ryan (Matt Dillon), Cameron and Christine Thayer (Terence Howard and Thandie Newton), a television director and his wife who are assaulted and abused by Ryan during a traffic violation.

And finally, we have Daniel Ruiz (Michael Pena), a compassionate father who is confronted by Farhad (Shaun Toub) and his daughter Dorri (Bahar Soomekh), two Persian immigrants who have an altercation with Ruiz.

As you can see, Crash is quite a complicated title, however writer/director Paul Haggis (In the Valley of Elah) successfully pulls it off as each character is introduced in almost a stage play fashion, however without the glitz and glamour.

Haggis manages in the short time that we have to go into great details of what makes these people tick and how racial tolerance in the US is becoming to crack in this almost social commentary of real-life. Quite underrated at the cinemas, Crash is a brilliant modern masterpiece that will leave you with mixed emotions, however the journey is definitely worth the price.

On Blu-ray, the video quality is quite impressive with vibrant colours, dark black levels and sharp images. The cinematography of Los Angeles also goes hand in hand with the movie and also the Blu-ray soundtrack which needs to be heard through a surround sound system to truly enjoy.

In conclusion, Crash is a must see movie for those film lovers who want a thinking man's drama and Crash is no exception to the rule. A brilliant tale that is intertwined, however it could not have succeeded without the stars behind this movie who really get out of their comfort zone.

Highly Recommended!