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撞車
Crash
6月22日 ?動人心

「你自以為很了解自己嗎?其實不。」警官賴恩

在今時今日的洛杉磯，人與人簡單的觸碰被視為神經異常多於親暱。
《撞車》正要喚醒人們心中那種超越種族的包容，揭露人性的真實面。

故事大綱：

《撞車》是數個互相關聯的洛杉磯故事﹕一個黑人警探與他沉淪毒海的母親及其誤入歧途的弟弟﹔兩個對社會及種族問題滿腔憤怒的偷車賊﹔一個困惱的律師以及其歇斯底里的妻子；一個帶有種族歧視又粗鄙的老差骨(卻又細心照顧其長年患病的父親)與年輕並充滿理想的警員；一個成功的荷里活黑人導演與及他受種族歧視困擾的妻子；一個由伊朗移民美國的父親希望以槍保護自己的店舖；一對害怕槍林彈雨的西班牙籍父女…….

姬絲汀(丹迪紐頓飾演)受到警官賴恩的無理搜身而一直耿耿於懷，甚至與丈夫卡姆隆(泰倫斯侯活飾演)關係惡化，最後卻於車禍中被賴恩(麥迪倫飾演)所救；年輕的警探漢森(賴恩菲臘飾演)討厭賴恩的種族歧視，自以為能夠做到人人平等，可惜，最後敵不過內心深處的恐懼，誤殺善良的黑人青年安東尼(基斯"路達格斯"碧哲斯飾演)；鎖匠丹尼爾(米高潘立飾演)希望女兒平安，千方百計想找到一塊淨土，然而麻煩總會找上門；伊朗老闆法赫德(桑杜(Shuan Toub飾演)帶槍找晦氣，不知是幸運還是不幸，女兒錯買空彈，因此避免犯上殺人大錯；珍(珊迪娜布洛飾演)對於自己身處的多種族社區感到不安，加上被兩名黑人青年劫車而惶惶不可終日，經常情緒不穩，偏偏政客丈夫歷克(班頓費沙飾演)依賴有色人種的支持，終於一次家居意外，珍認清膚色的不同只是外表的差異，並不能分別人的好壞，外籍女傭更是珍的救命恩人。

原本互不相干的人，於36小時內與對方擦身而過，或因此受傷，或因此對社會對生命對自己有所覺悟…….

一部關於階級和種族衝突的電影

《撞車》以類似《毒網》和《危險人物》的敘事風格，串連起一群本來互不相干的人，讓一些同時發生的事，錯綜複雜地交集在一起。因為這樣的交錯，激發起戲中各人的生命力，更令存在已久但一直被各種的社會壓力所抑制的憤怒和種族歧視問題一次過爆發出來。

"那是一種人與人之間觸碰的感覺，走在現實世界裡，你總會被別人碰上，又或你和別人擦身而過。但在洛杉磯，沒有人會觸碰你，因為每個人都總是躲在自己建的銅牆鐵壁後面。大概是因為太想念那種觸碰的感覺，所以才會彼此互碰，我想是為了重拾那一點感覺吧。"

編劇和導演一開始便希望拍一部電影深入探討種族關係，所以選擇了直截了當的手法，也就成了電影的骨幹。導演說：" 我們早就選擇了以種族問題為主題，如果不直接切入的話，那就不算是探討了，只是在旁敲側擊，這樣有什麼意義？所以我們堅持要最直接的！"

一部從未如此真實的電影

各演員與編劇和導演討論劇本時，發揮空間很大，想寫什麼便寫什麼，因為他們深信--"反正不太可能有片商或製片人會有興趣拍這類型的電影，寫就寫吧，即使最終沒有人肯投資也沒所謂。我們只是在挖掘事實的真相，許多人都給我們很好的建議，只要是真有其事，只要是對的，只要有助於故事發展的話，我們一定盡力去做。」

當哲杜說：「我覺得劇本好像真有其人在真實的情況下說出真正的事，這點非常吸引我，既不是在辯論也不真的是在研究種族問題，我們不是在下什麼結論，也不是在訓誡什麼，只希望觀眾能看得入迷，彷彿去了一趟旅行，樂在其中並有得著。」

麥迪倫說：「對於這些(種族歧視)問題，很多時候我們都選擇避而不談，你想盡辦法希望可以融入環境，可惜還是永遠無法融入……一個人被剝光了之後，就只剩下人性而已，有時候連這份人性也要去爭取，因為我們實在妥協了太多。我覺得這是本片所探討的問題。」

珊迪娜布洛 飾演 珍
珊迪娜布洛 (Sandra Bullock)於1994年憑《生死時速》迅即走紅，成為荷里活新一代女星，其後的《暗戀妳、暗戀你》、《殺戮時刻》及《網絡驚魂》令她更上一層樓。珊迪娜曾獲多個獎項及提名，《生死時速》令她獲兩項百視達獎及最佳電影MTV大獎，而《暗戀妳，暗戀你》則為她帶來金球獎及美國喜劇獎提名、People's Choice及百視達多個獎項。

珊迪娜是現今荷里活十大最具影響力及叫座力的影星，近年又憑《選美俏臥底》獲金球獎最佳女主角提名。珊迪娜更曾自組公司投資開拍並與妮歌潔曼一同擔演《巫法闖情關》及監製《貼身情人》，其他作品有《萬誘引力》、《曳曳女人心》、《殺人習作》、《生死時速續集》、《越空狂龍》等。

當哲杜 飾演 格林沃特斯警長
當哲杜 (Don Cheadle)曾與畢彼特及麥迪文合作演出由史提芬蘇德堡執導的《盜海豪情》，而他在《毒網》一片中的演出亦令觀眾印象深刻。他較早期的作品有《火星任務》、《至激關係》，而近年的作品則有與尼古拉斯基治合作的《加料感情線》。

他在《Devil in a Blue Dress》的精湛演出令他獲得洛杉磯影評人協會及美國影評人協會的最佳男配角殊榮。此外，他亦有出現在小螢幕上，作品有提名金球獎及艾美獎的《The Rat Pack》。同年，他更憑《Lesson Before Dying》 獲第二次艾美獎提名。

麥迪倫 飾演 警官約翰賴恩
縱橫影壇廿載的麥迪倫 (Matt Dillon)有非常豐富的演出經驗，各類型的角色他都能拿捏得恰到好處，從他在《局外人》的出色演技，到《情迷索瑪莉》中飾演迷戀索瑪莉的搞笑私家偵探，都展示了他多方面的演藝才能，証明了他是當代最出色的演員之一。它更曾自編自導由謝勒狄柏度（Gerard Depardieu）、史迪蘭史加斯格（Stellan Skarsgard）和占士堅（James Caan）主演的《City of Ghosts》，而他自己亦有份參與演出。麥迪倫曾經憑《迷幻牛郎》勇奪美國獨立精神大獎最佳男主角。此外，麥迪倫的知名電影代表作還有：《忽然囉囉孿》、《局外人》、《Albino Alligator》、《Flamingo Kid》、與妮歌潔曼拍檔的《不惜一切》及《玩盡殺絕》等等。

此片為麥迪倫帶來奧斯卡最佳男配角提名。

基斯"路達格斯"碧哲斯 飾演 安東尼
音樂才華洋溢的基斯"路達格斯"碧哲斯出道以來一直深受全球樂迷歡迎，但原來他也有非常優秀的演戲潛質，他首部演出的電影是《狂野時速2》。基斯在這部電影中出色的演出更令人深信唱歌並非他的唯一天份。基斯亦曾與泰倫斯侯活一同演出獲得包括奧斯卡等多個電影頒獎禮最佳電影歌曲及最佳男主角提名的《Hustle & Flow》。

賴恩菲臘 飾演 警官漢森
現年只有三十二歲的賴恩菲臘因為身兼演員、製作人和編劇等多重身份而迅速走紅，成為荷里活最多才多藝的年輕藝人。

身為演員，賴恩主演過多部電影，從第一部的電影《怒海驕陽》開始便已經有機會和名導演列尼史葛合作。此外，還有和比利卜科頓（Billy Bob Thornton）合演的《種黑錢》，與辛康納利和安祖蓮娜祖莉合作的《從心所愛》，其他知名代表作包括：《舊年暑假仲有鬼》、夥拍奧斯卡金像影后兼太太麗絲韋花絲潘的《誘惑性遊戲》及《高斯福大宅謀殺案》等。

班頓費沙 飾演 歷克
演技精湛的班頓費沙，因為曾演出《盜墓迷城》及《盜墓迷城2》而成為荷里活炙手可熱的動作喜劇男星，亦因此而廣為香港人所熟識。他出生於印度群島，並於歐洲及加拿大接受教育，於多倫多演藝學院畢業。97年他憑 《至野一族》一片備受注目，99年演出《盜墓迷城》成名，曾與英國名模依莉沙伯凱莉(Elizabeth Hurley)合演《魔鬼搵老襯》。班頓亦曾參與演出結合真人和卡通的電影《樂一通反斗特工隊》，戲中他飾演影城護衛。其他佳作還有《至野一族》、《超時空寵愛》等。

泰倫斯侯活 飾演 卡姆隆
現年36歲，身高6呎2吋，自小受到當舞台演員的祖母感染而愛上演戲的泰倫斯侯活1992年入行，參與過不少電影及電視劇演出，他不但被喻為2006年最受矚目的黑人演員，其演戲實力更獲得肯定。他主演的電影《Hustle & Flow》除了為他帶來奧斯卡金像獎最佳男主角提名，更讓他在有色人種娛樂頒獎禮Image Awards中打低憑同片獲提名的三位對手榮膺「最佳男配角」。此外，他亦憑在電視電影《Lackawanna Blues》中出眾的演技奪得電視電影組別的「最佳男主角」。

丹迪紐頓 飾演 姬絲汀
丹迪紐頓曾主演於二千年在美國掀起新一代科幻熱潮的《黑煞天魔》續集《天域戰士》，是一部劇情扣人心弦的科幻冒險電影。此外，她不但在《The Truth About Charlie》中，與麥克華保（Mark Wahlberg）演對手戲，更是《職業特工隊2》的女主角。

丹迪的母親是辛巴威人，父親則是英國人，在倫敦出生，三歲又搬回英國定居，十六歲進入倫敦藝術學院就讀，並且獲得了在澳洲電影《Flirting》中的演出機會，電影拍攝完畢後便再次回到校園繼續學業，並在劍橋大學取得人類學碩士學位，同時又演出了荷里活的多部電影佳作，包括：《吸血迷情》和《不羈的巴黎》等。丹迪亦曾客串演出NBC的熱門電視劇《仁心仁術》《ER》，這是她在美國電視圈的第一部作品。

導演保羅夏傑斯
導演保羅第一部編劇和執導的電影就是《撞車》，此片為他帶來了六項奧斯卡提名及三個獎項，包括最佳電影、最佳原著劇本及最佳剪接。

而他第二部編劇的電影則是於第七十七屆(2005年)奧斯卡勇奪最佳影片、最佳導演、最佳女主角及最佳男配角四項大獎，由奇連伊士活和摩根費曼等出色影星主演的《擊情》。

保羅在電視圈執導多年，表現一直備受讚賞，更獲獎無數，當中包括：兩屆艾美獎、The Humanitas Prize、TV Critics Association Program of the Year Award、Viwers For Quality Television Founders Award、Banff TV Award、Columbia Mystery Writers Award、Geminis、Houston Worldfest Gold Awards及Prism Award等等。

保羅首兩部執導和編劇的電影已有如此佳績，可見其才華洋溢，他接下來將會為史提芬史匹堡的夢工場炮製改編自威廉玻爾斯(William Broyles Junior)，講述二次世界大戰的史詩式電影《Flags of Our Fathers》。新片將由奇連伊士活執導演筒。

《撞車》演職員表
LIONS GATE FILMS/BOB YARI PRODUCTIONS/DEJ PRODUCTIONS聯合呈獻
BLACKFRIAR'S BRIDGE/HARRIS COMPANY/APOLLOPROSCREEN GmbH & CO/FILMPRODUKTION KG BULL'S EYE ENTERTAINMENT製作
保羅夏傑斯作品
主演: 《選美俏臥底》珊迪娜布洛
《盜海豪情十二瞞徒》當哲杜
《情迷索瑪莉》麥迪倫 《贖命密碼》珍妮花艾絲普思杜
《珍珠港》威廉費拿 《盜墓迷城》 班頓費沙
《Ray》泰倫斯侯活
《狂野時速2》基斯"路達格斯"碧哲斯
《職業特工隊2》丹迪紐頓
《高斯福大宅謀殺案》賴恩菲臘
《Ray》羅倫斯達迪
選角：《未來戰士3殲滅者TX》莎拉夏莉芬,C.S.A./雲迪曉拿,C.S.A.
服裝：《當男人愛上人》蓮達芭絲
音樂：《偷聽女人心》麥克爾森
剪接：曉治斯雲邦
美術：羅倫斯賓納
攝影：《變種特攻 2》J.米高梅朗
聯合監製：《奧賽羅情殺篇》碧斯丹布利
執行監製：安德魯韋瑪/湯魯蘭/真高巴連/瑪連拿格斯
監製：《戰鷹1號》姬菲舒爾曼/當哲杜/《虎膽狙擊》卜也烈/
《隔世天機》麥克R.夏里斯/羅拔摩斯高/保羅夏傑斯
故事：《擊情》保羅夏傑斯
編劇：《擊情》保羅夏傑斯 /《擊情》監製 羅拔摩斯高
導演：《擊情》編劇 保羅夏傑斯
發行：安樂影片有限公司

Production Notes

"You think you know who you are? You have no idea." --Officer John Ryan

Unraveling in the narrative style of TRAFFIC and PULP FICTION, CRASH tracks the intersecting lives of disparate individuals, each inescapably pushed into the trajectory of interwoven, oncoming events. Be it a split-second lapse or simply the wrong place, wrong time, those in CRASH find themselves jolted out of their inertia, revealing the long-standing rage and racism which simmer and boil in the melting pot that is modern-day Los Angeles.

In his first American feature film, CRASH writer-director Paul Haggis follows the intersections, detours and collisions of a multi-ethnic cast in the streets of Los Angeles as they careen in an out of one another's lives during a 36-hour period. Starring Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe, and Larenz Tate, the urban drama explores the twists and turns of fate that propel each character on an unexpected journey, where fear and anger merge with ignorance and violence in an unstoppable chain-reaction crash.

Emmy Award-winning writer-director-producer Paul Haggis directs from a story he wrote and a screenplay he co-wrote with Robert Moresco. CRASH is produced by Bull's Eye Entertainment's Cathy Schulman and Bob Yari, as well as Haggis, Moresco, Don Cheadle and Mark R. Harris. Bull's Eye partner Tom Nunan executive produces. The behind-the-scenes team of CRASH is comprised of Director of Photography James Muro, Production Designer Laurence Bennett, Costume Designer Linda Bass and Editor Hughes Winborne. Betsy Danbury is the co-producer and unit production manager.

LIVES COLLIDE: ABOUT CRASH

"It's the sense of touch. Any real city, you walk, you're bumped, brush past people.

In LA, no one touches you. We're always behind metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much that we crash into each other just to feel something. "

-- Detective Graham Waters

As holiday twinkle, two young African-American men walk through Westwood, about to set in motion a series of events which leave no one untouched. When Peter (Larenz Tate) and Anthony (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) carjack a Lincoln Navigator to sell to a chop shop, they cross paths with the ambitious District Attorney Rick Cabot (Brendan Fraser), up for re-election on his tough crime policies, and his frightened, privileged wife Jean (Sandra Bullock). Rick can't buy the type of security Jean really wants. As police respond to the carjacking call, Peter and Anthony disappear with the SUV into a barren Los Angeles industrial section, where they accidentally run over someone. They take the badly injured man to an area hospital and leave him.

Meanwhile, in Studio City, another African-American couple in a Lincoln Navigator is pulled over by police. Although the car license is different and they don't match the description of the suspects from the Westwood car-jacking, the upper-middle class television director Cameron Thayer (Terrence Howard) and his wife Christine (Thandie Newton) are subjected to a humiliating stop and search by veteran Police Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon), angered over a recent phone call with an HMO claims officer about his ailing father. As his partner, Officer Tom Hansen (Ryan Phillippe), looks on anxiously, Ryan harasses the couple, focusing on Christine, using a pat-down body search as an excuse to fondle the light-skinned black woman in front of her husband. After the police let the couple go "with a warning," Christine blisters at Cameron's decision not to confront the officer and the clear racial overtones of the incident. Christine is furious and wants to report the officer. Cameron wants to ignore it and get back to work tomorrow.

Across town, Los Angeles police detective Graham Waters (Don Cheadle) and his partner Ria (Jennifer Esposito) scrutinize a crime scene at a liquor mart, where an African American undercover police officer, William Lewis, lies dead, apparently shot in self-defense by fellow Officer Conklin. D.A. Rick Cabot, realizing the potential news value of his carjacking, now compounded by the LAPD officer shooting, looks for "a black guy to pin a medal on" to head off any lasting political fall-out from this string of events. Complicating matters, Hansen asks for a reassignment or another partner following the Thayer incident, but finds his superior unyielding. Finally, the captain tells Hansen he can be assigned to a single-man car, provided he "admits" that an embarrassing "personal problem" is the reason for the request.

In a downtown gun store, a determined Iranian immigrant Farhad (Shaun Toub) wants to buy a gun to protect his corner market. Unable to understand what the gunshop owner is telling him, Farhad is thrown out of the store, amidst a barrage of insults. His daughter, Dori, completes the purchase of the handgun, grabbing some ammunition on her way out. At their market, Farhad places the gun in a hidden drawer behind the counter as a locksmith, Daniel (Michael Pena), replaces the broken lock, but warns Farhad the problem is the entire door also needs replacing. Farhad, believing Daniel is cheating him, yells at the locksmith. When Daniel finishes the work and leaves the store, the suspicious and angry Farhad curses and threatens the locksmith, refusing to believe anything is wrong with the store's door.

When Daniel returns home, he finds his daughter Lara under her bed, scared by noises she believed were bullets outside their house. Daniel tells her that their new neighborhood is better than the old one and gives his daughter an invisible impenetrable cloak, tying it around her neck. Daniel tells the young girl this cloak will protect her and she has nothing to fear anymore.

Unfortunately, for those whose paths cross in CRASH, the notion that all we have to fear is fear itself is lost in a sea of carjackers and stray bullets and the unending, seemingly unavoidable collisions with the inevitable and unstoppable. In the City of Angels, where a brush can easily become a bruise and to be touched refers to insanity more than intimacy, crashing has become a way of life.

SLEEPLESS NIGHTS: THE GENESIS OF CRASH

"Don't talk to me unless you can speak American."

--Shaniqua

For writer-director Paul Haggis, the screenplay for CRASH sprang from a complex web of personal experiences, fears and observations. Haggis was carjacked at gunpoint coming out of a video store in Los Angeles. He went home, changed all the locks in his house...and then started to wonder about the guys who stole his car - how long they'd been friends, what they did for fun, whether or not they considered themselves criminals, and how they justified their actions - because we all do. Years later he decided to write about it - only from their perspective. "By then I'd lived in LA for twenty-five years and been witness to our own subtle brand of race of class warfare. I'd seen the many ways we discriminate against each other in everyday life. I'd seen how we rationalize and excuse it, how we organize our lives so that we don't have to deal with it, and how we deny that racial problems exist. And over and over again I saw how uncomfortable the subject makes people like myself. No one I knew would ever admit to harboring any sort of prejudice, no matter how small. But if you listened carefully you'd occasionally hear the "harmless" comments or jokes that betrayed truer feelings. Perversely, often these jibes and cracks were made by white men in the presence of black friends and associates - as if sharing these offensive remarks somehow "proved" that racism no longer existed. And I watched politicians champion racial causes for their own cynical and selfish ends. But it wasn't until after 9/11 that I understood how to write this piece. Because the movie isn't really about race or class - it's about fear of strangers. It's about intolerance and compassion; about the choices we make to try to 'fit in' and the price we pay for doing so. It's about how we all hate to be judged but see no contradiction in judging others. And it's about how often those people you judged surprise you, for good or for ill."

"I think that on some level everybody in America is touched by the question of race and racism," said Robert "Bobby" Moresco, who co-wrote the screenplay with Haggis. "There's nobody who has escaped it that I know of."

And even fewer who seek to discuss the issue in all its complexity and explosiveness. "I wanted to make a film that was irreverent, funny, tragic and shocking," said Haggis. "We live in a society of fear, where people like our President use that fear in order to control us, and the media uses that fear to manipulate us. I wanted to discuss that and how that fear resonates and distorts how we perceive the world around us."

Key to maintaining that fear and control, Haggis believes, is to distinguish people according to race and class, sewing distrust between the light and dark-skinned, between different generations of immigrants and different levels of income. The idea of what it means to be American, especially following the events of September 11th and the war on terror, comes into play as well.

"It is a film that escapes genre categorization because it escapes tonal categorization," said CRASH producer Cathy Schulman. "This is a film about real life. It's also something of a fable and a morality play. And it's a story of hope. There's levity, heartbreak, tragedy, beauty, comedy. It's those elements that allow it to touch upon other genres, but never actually lock in."

"These are not issues that are daring and risque," said CRASH producer and co-star Don Cheadle, who portrays Officer Graham Waters. "This is how people talk. This is what happens when people aren't being polite, you know? Can we be honest enough to admit that? I guess the challenge of this film is you know you want to laugh at that, you know that it's wrong to laugh at that, but you want to laugh. So, go ahead and laugh at that and then examine why and what it was you were laughing about."

"I call this a gray comedy," said CRASH producer and long-time Haggis colleague, Mark R. Harris. "It's not totally black. I love those kinds of films because they give you something to think about, to laugh about and yet, you have to look at yourself and say, 'I'm one of those.' Whether it's period, future or contemporary, you can get your message across if you do it with humor."

Co-star Sandra Bullock, who portrays Jean Cabot, the lonely and suspicious wife of the ambitious District Attorney played by Brendan Fraser, believes the film reminds us of how insulated modern life can be. "Our reality is so detached that I think it requires a catastrophic event to make us either feel or acknowledge what's actually going on," she said. "We're still finding a way to seclude ourselves and numb ourselves. We can always turn off the TV and then it doesn't exist for that time being. We are too comfortable, way too comfortable."

According to co-star Jennifer Esposito, who plays Los Angeles Police detective Ria, the power of CRASH lies in its ability to elicit chuckles at one moment and squirming the next. "You're going to laugh and be so uncomfortable about certain things," she said. "This is the best script I've read in ages. It is one of the most human things I've read...I believe everyone will have an opinion about this movie. Whether they love it, or they hate it, they will have an opinion. It will bring up conversation. It will entertain. It'll make people mad."

As the writer-director notes, the truth often hurts. "This isn't a film about someone else - about those bad people on the other side of the hill. This is a film about good people - people you know; people like us - people who think they know who they are. Then they are tested and realize that they have no idea. None of the characters escape unscathed."

"This movie talks about things that nobody wants to admit. No one admits they feel this way; it's something that's usually said behind closed doors," said rapper-turned-actor Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, who portrays carjacker Anthony. "So, for people to see it up front and close like this is new. Some people are going to be upset. It's controversial, but damn it, it's the truth. People are scared of the truth, man. They're scared of the truth, but you can't hide the truth."

Co-star Terrence Howard, who portrays television director Cameron Thayer, says bluntly: "All I am is just a paid nigga performing, man. That's how I feel. That's what this piece is about. You know, we are all still share-cropping and that's everybody -- Mexicans, Asians -- everybody's sharecropping."

The idea of challenging preconceptions and prejudices evolved as the different characters developed, some drawn from Haggis and Moresco's own dark sides, and others based on people they knew and situations which those individuals experienced.

"I had a great friend, Anita Addison, who passed away a short time ago," Haggis begins, discussing the African-American director and political activist to whom the film is dedicated. "Her life was forever shaped by racism. Her parents were civil rights workers in the South and as a very young child Anita was enrolled in all white schools in order to desegregate them. She'd be called terrible names, white parents pulled their children out of school, the KKK would burn torches, federal troops would come in and the school would be forcibly integrated. I often wondered how a young child ever recovers from experiences that brutal. In Anita's case, she just never spoke of it."

Haggis admired and respected Addison's courage and strength. "She was a great, wonderful, beautiful, supportive and generous woman who would walk into any room and pick a fight with the first person she found held power. She'd pick the fight immediately, and I wondered why. Then someone told me her story and suddenly it all made sense."

For actor Brendan Fraser, who portrays law-and-order District Attorney turned-crime-victim, Rick Cabot, the story's most unusual aspect is the way in which it balances its many characters and intricate plotting. "I found it very compelling," Fraser said. "It gives equal weight to everyone's character and everyone's situation from the very top to the very bottom."

"Everybody gets their due," said actor Larenz Tate, who portrays carjacker Peter. "From the black community to the white community to the Asian to the Latino to everything you can think up under the sun, everyone gets their just due, equally. No one gets more, no one gets less. Everyone gets their fair share."

Perhaps that balance sprang from another incident Haggis experienced, which dramatically shaped his point-of-view. "Paul tells a story about when his children went to one of the private schools out here [in Los Angeles] where something had gone down between students and some parents were suspecting that maybe there had been some biased treatment based on race," said Cheadle. "I guess this PTA meeting kind of got out of hand, so Paul, being the good leftist subversive that he is, said, 'Well, why don't we all go over to my house next weekend and talk about it?' And he said the only people who showed up [at that meeting] were the black women. Nobody else showed up to talk about it and they said, 'Well, we'll talk about it.' And they all got into it and he said that's really what started him writing about all of these things."

For Haggis, these and other thoughts kept him awake at night. "I woke up at three o'clock in the morning one day and I couldn't go back to sleep," he said. "I'd been thinking about Anita and other incidents that I found upsetting...So, I got up and started writing and wrote out a forty-page outline by morning."

The story Haggis outlined, and the screenplay he and Moresco subsequently wrote, involves a tapestry of strangers whose lives collide during the days before Christmas in modern-day Los Angeles. "I just took things that happened and turned them around a little" said Haggis. "We wrote from the carjacker's point of view rather than my own. I wanted to play with stereotypes, with the assumptions we make about strangers. And I wanted to show completely how one person can affect another without even realizing it - you flip off some guy in the car next to you, that person get angry and takes it out on someone they bump into, who did nothing to them, and it just goes around."

"Incidents reverberate throughout the story, affecting all of these different characters' lives in ways they would never expect," adds Moresco, who co-wrote the screenplay with Haggis during an intensive two-week writing session. "One person's life touches another and another, and they all wind up affected or changed by this one incident."

"It's a little bit of a morality tale and a cautionary tale," said co-star Ryan Phillippe, whose police officer Tom Hansen takes a wrong turn he can never make right. "You see how fragile humanity is in general and how the slightest choice you make, which may not seem that important at the time, can end up having huge ramifications, a ripple effect way beyond yourself."

For Haggis, the route circled right back home. "I hate the fact that as Americans, we just love to define people. We love to say, 'Good person. Bad person,'" he said. "In this film at least, I didn't want us to be judging others. I wanted us to judge ourselves."

Judging the thoughts we have, but rarely share. Judging the reactions we have, but rarely reflect on. Judging the assumptions, stereotypes and most of all, the fear we carry, but usually deny exists. During his first fevered night of writing, Haggis compared the emotions he experienced to "taking a pen knife and just digging into that particular wound, poking around the bone and around the nerves and really exposing who I am, things that I don't like about myself."

"If you leave this film and don't see a piece of yourself, you're a liar, an absolute liar," insists Bullock. "It may not be your time to see it yet if you don't see a piece of yourself and just acknowledge it."

Co-star Tate believes the character-driven nature of the film "allows people to look at themselves in the mirror in a way that they don't always want to look at themselves," adding: "It's not your conventional kind of film. It's very different. It's a very dark film in the sense of its subject matter, but it is quite funny as well. I hope people enjoy it. It's a phenomenal story and we're all here working for the love of this script."

FORCE OF IMPACT: CLASS AND RACE

"You have no idea, do you? You have absolutely no idea why they put those

great big windows on the sides of buses? One reason only: to humiliate the people

of color who are reduced to riding on it."

-- Anthony

For Haggis and Moresco, the decision to tackle race relations head-on became vital to the screenplay's power. "We made a choice early on that we were going to talk about race and if we're not really talking about it directly, then we're not really talking about race, we're trying to be politically correct and that's not what we set out to do," said Moresco. "So, we made the choice to deal with it directly."

Besides, as Haggis and Moresco figured when they were writing the screenplay, they could write whatever they wanted since it was unlikely any studio or producer would want to make it. "We thought, 'Let's just write this and the hell with everyone since nobody's ever going to make this,'" Moresco explained. "Many people gave us good suggestions, and we just kept digging at the truth. We didn't care what it sounded like and we knew it was ugly. When we questioned ourselves, the answer always came back the same: 'If it's truthful, if it's real, if it's right, if it serves the story, we can do it. If we can't, we can't.' That gave us the freedom to write from our soul, to write from the place that we thought."

Contrary to what the duo expected, the dark, fractured portrait which emerged did not turn off executives and actors. In fact, the response to their screenplay was overwhelming and positive.

"I think the script felt like these are real people saying real things in real situations," Cheadle said. "That was the attraction for me. This isn't a polemic and this isn't some sort of investigation of race. It's not....We're not trying to wrap anything up in a bow or give any lessons. Hopefully, people are entertained and if they went on a journey and were glad they were on it, great."

"We're all trying to look the other way with regard to stereotypes and racism," said Howard. "Like Cameron, you can do all you possibly can to fit in and you still never fit in....There's nothing but the humanity of a man left and sometimes you got to fight for that humanity because we make too many compromises. That's what I think this movie is about."

CRASH is universal in its deep-rooted multi-cultural conflicts and comic-tragic consequences. For Ontario-born Haggis, who grew up "halfway between Toronto and Detroit", CRASH was an opportunity to focus that bright Hollywood spotlight on the dark side of a country he loves. "It would take a Canadian," jokes Cheadle. "But in many ways, I do think it helps that there's sort of an outsider's observation on the city and the relationships that drive the city. It's dealt with preciously, precisely, there's no sentimentality in it. It's just what it looks like to me."

THE POWER OF WORDS: CASTING CRASH

"Don't be ignorant. They're Thai or Cambodian or something; entirely different kinda chinks. How much you want for them?"

-- Lucien

As the filmmakers knew, the way in which small independent films generally find financing is by looking to the stars. "You find a star then you go to the financial people and say, 'Hey, I've got this star' or 'I've got this star and a group of other stars who are interested,' and then you get the money to make the movie," said Moresco. "Not the other way around."

At the top of their actor wish list sat Don Cheadle. Over the last decade, the Golden Globe-winning actor has become one of the industry's most acclaimed and busy talents. In roles ranging from porn star-gone straight (BOOGIE NIGHTS) to a dedicated undercover drug agent (TRAFFIC) to his Golden Globe award-winning turn as Sammy Davis Jr. in THE RAT PACK, Cheadle has risen from scene-stealing character actor to leading man in a string of box-office hits such as OCEAN'S ELEVEN (and its pending sequel, OCEAN'S TWELVE), SWORDFISH and THE FAMILY MAN.

"Don was the first person we approached and the first person who said yes," Haggis said. "We sent him the script and knew he was interested, but didn't really know what he was going to say. I asked him, 'What do you think?' and he said, 'Well, I love the script and I'll do any role. Just pick a part, I'll do it. I just want to be part of this.' Wow. We were thrilled."

For the first-time filmmakers, Cheadle's involvement was a dream come true. Cheadle's excitement over the screenplay and characters led to him signing on as one of the film's producers as well, using his experience and relationships to get the film cast and made. "Because of Don's involvement, we had actors on every level reading a script without an offer, just to see if they were interested," said Moresco. That just doesn't happen in Hollywood and that wouldn't have happened without Don."

"Don Cheadle: an amazing, strong man and extraordinary actor," said Schulman. "He's been the guiding force. He is so politically, emotionally committed to the notion of exposing issues of racism. He's not afraid of anything. He beat the drum to collect the cast. He beat the drum to collect the money. He's been available at every turn. He's really great. A great man and dear friend."

Schulman notes that Cheadle had to leave the production early to keep a filming commitment in Africa and "there wasn't a night when he didn't call while we were shooting. There's not a daily he doesn't watch."

"He's such a great spirit and such a great person to have around," said Haggis about Cheadle. "He's a smart and passionate man." While Haggis, Harris and Moresco credit Cheadle's producer skills and terrific professional reputation as a key to other actors signing on, Cheadle shrugs it off, pointing to the story.

"When you have good material, when there's such a dearth of good material, it's not hard to attract actors," said Cheadle. "Everybody responded to one thing: To make these characters come to life. So, you start with a good script and you can do a lot."

"When I read the script I was in New York and I was absolutely blown away by it, absolutely blown away," said Bullock. "And by the time I finished reading it, I put in a call and I was like, 'I don't care what part I play, I just would love to be a part of this film.' It's rare when you read something that inspires you to leave your home and rectify the situation. I got lucky to be a part of it."

Bullock notes that budgets and production size often have little to do with creating good films. "I think often when films have too much money, you lose the creative spark and energy to let it be character-driven," she said. "It's amazing, you can be on a film for three months and maybe feel you had a handful, maybe fifteen days, of true creativity. The fact that it is an independent film, you have to figure out how to make the film work based on what you have, which is characters and limited locations."

"We've been lucky enough with this group that everybody's been willing to pull the extra mile and to give everything they possibly could," said Schulman. "This cast has been so willing to collaborate, I'm getting spoiled. I think that if you bring the cast something that they can be proud of, something that forces them to flex the muscles of their craft and you're honest from the very beginning that there aren't a lot of bells and whistles, they really collaborate."

Tate agrees, saying he feels especially lucky to have known about CRASH before the film was made. "It's the kind of film that once you see it or you read [about] it or it comes out, you say, 'Aargh! I wish I could have been in that film!'" Tate said. "These characters are so rich and honest, it's just uncut. There's no filter..."

Haggis and Moresco carefully crafted their characters to avoid easy villain-hero definitions. "They're all just horribly flawed human beings. They're us," said Haggis.

Matt Dillon, who portrays police officer Ryan, says the rich characters and conflicts were an irresistible combination. "The writing in this film is very, very complex," Dillon said. "Nothing is what it seems. Nothing is cut and dry. Nothing's black and white. People are both good and bad and that's one of the things I liked about it. It's a big ensemble cast, a multi-protagonist story, yet you have these characters, who may not spend that much time on the screen, but the time on screen is not wasted. We learn a lot about them."

A PLACE TO CRASH: THE CHARACTER OF LOS ANGELES

"You think they need another drug-dealing cop,

or do you think they need a fallen black hero?"

-- Flanagan

The first thing we learn is that no matter their origins, each individual lives and works in Los Angeles. For Haggis and Moresco, Los Angeles became the pivotal character in the story, as multi-ethnic as New York, Chicago or other major cities, but markedly different when it comes to how those groups move and live.

"In New York, we are forced to live with one another by the nature of the city itself and the demographics," said Moresco. "You walk down the street, go into a delicatessen, get into elevators, walk up and down staircases. You cross the street with people of every racial ethnicity. You've got to live with your fellow New Yorkers, whether you like it or not. In Los Angeles, you get in your car, drive to work, drive home. You don't have to spend time with anyone else for the most part, except yourself."

Traveling in climate-controlled capsules in a universe of drive-through dining, pharmacies, liquor stores and markets, those who live and die in L. A. know the singular loneliness of a world seen through glass and metal. "To me, CRASH is L.A. because CRASH is cars," said Schulman. "The point of this L.A.-based exercise is that we protect ourselves in our cars. It's highly simplistic, but surprisingly true. We are able to shut ourselves in, plug in our headsets, our cell phones, our CDs, DVDs, PDAs, phone sheets, and fax machines and drive through these environments without ever noticing them. All contemporary cities have the melting pot issues, racism, ethnic struggles, but L.A. is the place where's it's everywhere and we keep ourselves away from it."

"I'm from New York City and it's really hectic and if you're there you usually have a purpose," said Esposito. "When I'm in New York, I'm alone, but I have to talk to people, you know, you're in their face, you're in a taxi, on a train, on the street, people are around you. In LA, I find I can go for two days without speaking to anybody. Here, you can get very isolated and lonely."

Dillon, who has lived in both cities, agrees, believing the sprawling geography only adds to the pervasive sense of being alone. "Los Angeles is spread out and everybody is isolated in automobiles, traveling around," he said. "Having spent time doing ride-alongs with the police department, you realize that often, there's this sense that they're even more isolated, encapsulated in their vehicles, going around, taking radio calls, never sure what is going to happen next."

Infamous incidents such as the recent Rampart police corruption scandal and the Rodney King trial and subsequent citywide civil riots have underscored the unyielding tensions in Los Angeles between the haves and have-nots, the incredible wealth and glamour of Hollywood and Beverly Hills juxtaposed with considerable poverty and violence in South Central and other parts of Los Angeles.

"I spend a lot of time in New York and I'm from the East Coast, so L.A. has always been a strange city to me," said Phillippe. "New York is more of a true melting pot, you're side-by-side with people of all different races. L.A. is a little bit more pocketed, and in some senses segregated, not using that word in the strongest sense, but I feel it's a strange city that way. There are tensions in L.A. that are different from New York, where everybody lives their life and does their thing, you're all in it together. In L.A., it's almost as if there are the elites and lots of immigrants and poor people, and the difference just doesn't seem even or fair."

"L.A. is definitely a character in the story," said CRASH Production Designer Laurence Bennett. "The mix of people here is much more varied and much more intense than one imagines. It has the largest Mexican city outside of Mexico, the largest Korean city out side of Korean, the largest Thai city outside of Thailand....That's phenomenal. I could never have imagined how quickly areas change and how this jumble of stuff just goes on and on, changing ever faster."

As Cheadle notes: "Los Angeles is one of the first places where whites will become a minority very soon, so I think it has it's own unique sort of makeup. But I could see the story happening in other places, as well."

As large a role as Los Angeles plays in the drama, Harris believes that racism is ignorance and the story unfolds every day everywhere. "I mean, everybody, every culture has it's own prejudices. Whether it's Muslim Jews, blacks, whites, or Swedes and Germans, you're going to find the same dialogue and tensions."

As Howard believes, the film underscores "the nature of man, which has shown what he's about and he's going to keep doing what he's doing until he can't do it no more. Things ain't got better, they've gotten worse," he said. "Nobody trusts the governor, the president. Nobody trusts their elected officials and they don't even trust the police who are supposed to look after you."

For Phillippe, the film's title represents a very human path. "These are people who are all coming to some sort of crash, some sort of breakdown," he said. "It just so happens it's many different people from so many different walks of life, slammed together through some fateful incident."

The incident, which sets things in motion in CRASH begins when Peter and Anthony, portrayed by actor Larenz Tate and rapper-turned-actor Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, carjack the District Attorney's Lincoln Navigator. "There are these two thieves, [the] two carjackers, who I view as some sort of post-modern Rosencrantz and Guildenstern," said Fraser. "They're driving around town in the district attorney's stolen SUV giving social commentary, a chorus about what it means to live in Los Angeles at the time. Their stories are intermingled with everyone else's and I think they are the most compelling characters in the picture for me."

For Tate, the directness and humor of the screenplay, the twists and turns and intermingling of characters, especially the fate of his carjacker Peter, made the story's authenticity all the more compelling. "I think this is one of those movies that people will remember because it has a true voice," Tate said. "I like to be in a film that has real characters and they aren't always apologetic about what they feel. My character often times likes to make light of things....but he and Anthony get themselves into a lot of trouble. Karma, man. Karma is a mother, you know what I mean?"

The character of Peter combines intelligence and wit with the unfortunate familiarity of another kid from the 'hood who "you know, could have all the right ways to go and just chooses to go left," Tate said. "He and Anthony could just as easily become anything that they want to be, just because they are from the 'hood doesn't mean a death sentence. But these guys make a conscious choice. They take what seems an easier route and get themselves caught up in things that just get worse and worse the further they go. What do you do? What do you do?"

Tate and his co-stars had no such questions about their first-time film director, Haggis. "Paul is very specific about what he wanted," said Howard. "And I knew all the stuff we got on the page is just an outline and I knew a lot of the stuff were going to have to bring ourselves. I think Paul has been almost genius in doing that. They trust him, too."

For Howard, being on screen again with "Larenz is like working with my brother, man," he said. "We've been at war since '94, so it's great to work with your brother. And then to be able to fight with him again. That's the only person you can really, really trust."

For rapper-turned actor Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, sharing the screen with such an accomplished ensemble cast was not as daunting as it was exciting. "I was the freshman of the group," said Bridges, who plays the carjacker Anthony. "I'm starting to build my resume, going from 2FAST 2FURIOUS to an independent film like this one. My whole thing in being an actor is trying out different roles. So, basically I am soaking it all in, making sure I get to set and watch and just try to absorb everything that's going on and learn from these talented actors and actresses that are out here doing their thing on this movie."

Bridges, who says he has no plans to leave his music career for acting, finds inspiration in working with actors such as Cheadle, Howard and Tate. "It's really good to work with Terrence Howard because he motivates me to try and work as hard as I possibly can, especially when I'm in a scene with him," he said. "And Larenz Tate. I think after the first ten minutes that we met, we felt like we knew each other for a long time. We're both real, real focused individuals and we know what we want out of life."

Bridge's character, Anthony, is the type of person who sees a conspiracy in almost everything. "Anthony is a very intelligent street smart person. He feels a revolution coming on, so, in a sense, he just wants to empower his friend, Peter, who Larenz Tate plays. He wants his friend to learn as much as he can about the way the world works."

Tate says he and Bridges discussed what it took to make a character come to life on screen. "Ludacris is definitely willing to roll up his sleeves and become this Anthony," Tate said. "I can appreciate anyone who is willing to step up to the plate and say, 'I'm going to do the best I possibly can.' "

"I was really impressed with Chris," said Haggis. "He did the work. We did lots of rehearsals, put the time in and he really stepped up."

Harris says Bridge's convincing portrayal was the most positive surprise of the film. "He was terrific," he said. "He's even better than I thought he'd be. When he was reading, he had the naturalness, the ease."

Producer Schulman calls Bridges "a superstar and the great, great discovery of this movie. He's been a pleasure and I think the camera loves him. He has worked his butt off to do this role and might really surprise some of his fans." A turning point for Bridge's character, Anthony, occurs during a fight sequence between Bridges and Howard. It was also an eye-opener for newcomer Bridges, who soon discovered the authenticity needed for a realistic on-screen mano-a-mano. "I've never been in a fight scene and I didn't know that it's damn near like fighting," Bridges said. "When you're catching body blows and things of that nature -- that was surprising! I thought they always faked it, but it was no faking. We were hitting and throwing punches for real."

Co-star Howard, who pulled no punches in his onscreen battle with Bridges, also was very impressed with the young actor. "He had no ego. I got to give it up for him for that," he said. "And he was in those moments, when we were fighting, he wasn't scared and that was beautiful...you know, the hundred fifty million times we did it." Howard laughs, but Bridges was counting. "We kept doing those takes at least fifty times," he said. "I had no complaints, I was a soldier about it and didn't say quit, even though I was getting kicked in the stomach. I'm bruised and tired, but it was worth it, man, because we made it real."

Aside from first-timer Bridges, Haggis wanted to take others risks in casting, believing that actors playing against type would further underscore the emotional impact of the words they say. "People gravitated towards roles that they hadn't played before and were a little nervous about playing and that helped, too. So, we got something really different and unique from each person. These actors are playing characters you haven't seen them do before. It's wonderful to watch."

Schulman says she expected resistance from some of the actors faced with the more negative characters. "I expected that they would have fears of having to do such negative, morally reprehensible things and the truth is they embraced it with the same professionalism and skill and talent that they approach so much simpler, easier and friendlier roles. They committed entirely and never for a moment brought the person, the star, into the equation."

Bullock says she was "really excited" about her character, but acknowledges the challenge of portraying an individual contrary to her own upbringing and inclinations. "If it takes my face and my voice to spew that anger out and to make people listen to it, I'm glad," she said. "I think her [character's] opinion is ever-present and it's really a wolf in sheep's clothing."

For Bullock, the carjacking that happens to Jean Cabot awakens her character to the emptiness of her "safe" life. "She's an example of someone who has really built her life around things that are incredibly trivial and empty," Bullock said. "For a moment, her life is ripped away from her and, for that second, she's forced to look at what's really in front of her, which is that her husband is not the man she thought he was, her life is definitely not the life she thought it was and she's not the person of kindness and goodness that she's built her reputation on, either."

Fraser, who portrays Bullock's husband in CRASH sees that Rick and Jean are a "trophy couple, who've kind of won each other. I can't speak for Sandy, but I do know that she has a character through line that comes to a realization that maybe everything she hoped and aspired for through this relationship is absolutely evaporating before her very eyes," Fraser said. "Rick's not a bad man. It's easy to vilify a district attorney with political aspirations and I'm not saying that there isn't corruption in major cities because I've met the people who fight it, personally. There is. But, he's not the cause of his wife's problems."

Bullock loved the "strength and legitimacy" Fraser lends to the film, wishing their few days of filming could have stretched out a little longer. "He's so talented," she said. "Every time you see him in something, he looks like somebody completely different and is someone completely different."

Fraser spent time with Steve Cooley, the district attorney of Los Angeles, to prepare for his role and found out he would have to become a different person, indeed. "When I first met Steve he looked at me and said, 'The first thing you have to do is get grey hair and gain fifty pounds,'" Fraser laughs. "Since that wasn't about to happen, he gave me D.A. cufflinks and a lapel pin that he would wear during press conferences." Cooley also gave Fraser his time and expertise, allowing the actor a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it takes to run the business of L.A. law and order. "I have an immense amount of respect having done the research," Fraser said. "I asked him how he possibly can keep on top of all the work and his answer was very simple: It's like being a fireman. You just go from one to the next and try and stamp them out."

In CRASH, Fraser says his district attorney character finds himself faced with "a moral conundrum; whether to squash a volatile situation that could ignite another race war in Los Angeles or to allow the public to believe they have a fallen hero rather than an enemy," he said. "Rick's essentially a good man, but he's a human being. He's fallible as we all are and therefore, an interesting character to play. I explained a lot of these ideas to people I met downtown at the office and one of them said that she thinks that no matter what age we are, we will always be constantly re-evaluating and asking ourselves why we do the things we do. Whether we're five, twenty-five, thirty-five or seventy-five, we're always going to be asking ourselves these sorts of questions."

NARRATIVE THREAD: CHEADLE BRINGS IT TOGETHER

"So, then I guess the big mystery is:

Who gathered those remarkably different cultures together and taught them all how to park cars on their lawns?"

-- Detective Graham Waters

Cheadle's police detective, Officer Graham Waters, is the only character who touches all the lives in the story. However, unlike most traditionally structured films, the story does not unfold from this character's point-of-view. Instead, Waters serves as a "book-ending role," says Schulman. "He wanders through and happens to brush up upon these various ideas, stories, concept and lives, but non-judgmentally. He's something of a silent guide."

For Cheadle, his character's relentless pursuit of truth on the job has meant an overload of pain and suffering. "He's seen too much on the job, he's seen too much in his family," Cheadle said. "He's hurt too much in his life. There's been a lot of unrequited feelings. I have this image of him, a guy who's rode out in a little dingy and gotten away from land and thought, 'Ok, how much further can I get?' And one day, he turns around and sees, 'Oh, I don't even know where land is. I can't even get back if I wanted to.' So, he's sort of divorced himself, either by circumstances in his life or by his own doing, from those real, emotional human beats that drive us."

Cheadle believes that Graham has drifted so far out in that dingy, he can't let his guard down. "Graham's a complicated guy. He's got a lot of conflict going on underneath this sort of still quietness," he said. "I think Graham is just too scared, and he's gone too far out on that boat to come back and try to make a real connection with somebody."

For Esposito, who portrays Graham's partner and lover, Ria, connection is what the heart of the film and the characters' struggles are about. "It's a lot about communication," Esposito said. "I think she really is still trying to talk and feel and be with people and I found it really interesting that she is rarely answered or spoken to. I found that so sad. I think she's one of the voices in the movie that says, 'Listen to each other. Take a minute.'"

Cheadle describes their attempts at connection, "a yearning for something they can't quite get to..." and both believe the tough detective jobs of Graham and Ria have desensitized them. "Everybody's had those relationships that you know aren't good for you and this is definitely one of them," said Esposito. "I think it's a very manipulative, abusive relationship, in a very undermining kind of way."

Haggis found filming Cheadle an example of the power of silence. "You don't have to give Don dialogue at all," said Haggis. "In fact, I kept pulling away from him because he can place so much in silences, in looks. I kept taking out lines and finally he says, 'No. Don't take your lines away from me.' But just looking at him -- without him saying a word -- you see his entire world and you see the conflict in that world, every contradiction. He's a brilliant actor."

Working with Cheadle was an experience Esposito both coveted and enjoyed. "When I saw how he's just so present, it made me even more determined to get the role," she said. "He's still in his choices, but the emotions resonate so high from the stillness, which is such a trip, but he's so good at it. I'm learning a lot from him."

"When I tried out for this movie, Don Cheadle was there and before I did anything, I sat there and told him I feel like he's one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood," said Bridges. "He took it to heart, but whether or not I got the role -- and thank God I did -- it was still a privilege to just read with him."

For co-star Howard, Cheadle's role as producer was a major attraction for him. "It's nice to see him taking a leg up and doing what should be done," he said. "Denzel, years ago, brought in the young black talent and Denzel has tried. Laurence Fishburne has tried and now the power's in Cheadle's hands. I have to applaud him in my heart for tackling such a project, keeping it honest and bringing in the talent, showcasing actors that care. I appreciate him for that."

The London-based actress Thandie Newton found out about CRASH when she found out about a fan named Paul Haggis. "Because I live in England I haven't seen his television shows, but I was shooting a movie in Vancouver and he called me from LA and we had this amazing hour-long conversation," she said. "I just loved his passion and loved his script."

Haggis had written the part of Christine with Newton in mind. "Flattered and proud" someone would write a part for her, she was bowled over when she read the script. "All you have to do is not even read the scene that you're playing, you just flip through the script anywhere, open the script to any page and just read what Paul's written and it's inspiring," Newton said. "That's how I prepared for this role, just contemplating the story and the script."

As Howard, who portrays her onscreen husband, summarizes: "You're supposed to protect this woman and you can't even protect her from her own mouth. And she's the only one telling the truth right there, you know, and he just plays status quo games, plantation games, and looks away and his wife sees him do that. There's a thousand, a million wives who see their husbands have to do that, and they turn away at it. She's disappointed in her man, cause he ain't no man."

Once again, it was the screenplay's potent portents, which excited Newton. "It's not a preachy movie at all and you have all these different characters and dynamics going on that you wouldn't expect," she said. "It's thrilling. One of the things that excited me most was the realism of it and yet the irony that so many of these people do have their lives cross. Ultimately, what it's saying is that a person, a stranger can affect you and change your life. We're all doing that to each other all the time, so it's like: 'Take care.'"

Newton says her and co-star Howard's characters were in the "wrong place, wrong time, wrong relationship," when a traffic stop shatters their fragile world view. "I think Cameron and Christine are constantly asking themselves whether they're for real, whether they're just playing roles. That's the tragedy -- the feeling they are not entitled to their wealth or class as black people in American society."

Haggis says the scenes "with Thandie and Terence just rip my heart out; it feels like someone's reaching down your throat and pulling out your lungs."

"I have four scenes in the film, and what happens in those scenes and what it forces you to consider is very provocative and almost kind of dangerous in a lot of what the suggestions are and that hasn't been easy," said Newton. "I think I felt more exposed and more vulnerable in this film than in just about any other [film]."

Dillon also found his character a challenge to portray. "For me, it was very difficult to play a character who's this extreme and I found it kind of disturbing to do the scenes where he's a cop who is abusive and very angry," Dillon said. "I could identify with a lot of the human emotions that this character is going through, but I couldn't identify with his actions. He's very angry, very vindictive."

Like all the characters in CRASH though, there are two sides to Dillon's troubled Officer Ryan. "What drew me to the character was that there's this revelation about him that he's this guy who's committed, who really loves his father. I don't think he's a bad person," Dillon said. "He can also be very devoted, as we see, and in many ways he's an excellent policeman. He does an excellent job. He's very confident with his duties as a police officer, but he also abuses them. He just doesn't really deal with his feelings very well."

Dillon says the frustrations and anger, which make his scenes so explosive are very human. "There's something very universal about all the characters in the film," Dillon said. "No matter how flawed they may be as human beings, it is really important that they are affected by these other characters on a very human level."

Phillippe, who portrays Dillon's partner, Officer Tom Hansen, finds Ryan's handling of his problems is more common than most people will admit. "I thought what was really a very interesting thing about his character and the writing of the script is that this guy Ryan does what so many people in society do, and he transfers the frustrations of his own life and his inabilities onto other people," he said.

For Phillippe, the chance to work with Cheadle and Dillon was an opportunity not to be missed. "Matt's an actor I've admired," he said. "I've watched his work as a younger actor and was influenced by it, so it was exciting to get to work with him. He's really taken on this difficult role. He's playing a guy who most people wouldn't like and Matt's really kind of sunk into it. He's gotten everything out of it that he possibly can."

Ryan's rookie partner, Hansen, seeks to get a new partner because of the incident, but finds his efforts lead only to more trouble. "My character, for instance, sort of goes downward and so does Cameron," Phillippe said. "Terrence's character, Cameron, his life unravels from this point on because of what he doesn't do in this scene, because of the fact that he is compliant. So, it is pivotal and it comes fairly early in the movie. So, you kind of see what happens to these people after the incident and how it does change their lives."

As the idealistic young officer, Ryan's character represents the type of police officer most would want patrolling their neighborhood, "the guy who wants to do the right thing," Phillippe says. However, by the end of the film, Officer Tom Hansen finds himself crashing into his own limits, pushed to the edge. "Every character in this film is sort of on the verge of a nervous breakdown, you know. And I think that is what keeps the story tense and everything moving."

CREATING CRASH: FILMING ON L.A. STREETS

"Man steals from black people. Only reason black people steal from their own:

'Cause they are terrified of white people. Burbank, Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks:

these are scary-ass places for a brother to find himself."

--Anthony

For producer Mark Harris, CRASH quickly became a labor of love. "We knew it wouldn't be easy, but the script was just brilliant," said Harris, who says his work as an agent packaging shows such as "Baywatch," gave him the time and money to make independent films like CRASH. "It's something that's different, well written and I think people would like to see something they haven't seen before. If the material has something that speaks to me, like this does, that's what attracts me."

Harris's experience with independent films such as the award-winning feature GODS AND MONSTERS also gave Haggis and Moresco a boost when it came to understanding the financial and promotional considerations of independent producers. Harris sent a revised feature version of the story to Bob Yari at Bull's Eye in late 2002. CRASH was produced by Bull's Eye, the production partnership between Bob Yari, Cathy Schulman and Tom Nunan, who joined Harris, Haggis, Moresco and Cheadle as producers. By January, the strong screenplay was attracting notice and casting quickly began.

"Cathy Schulman did the best job of any producer I've seen in a very long time and got us the most we can get," said Moresco. "Everyone's extending themselves creatively in a way that I couldn't be more grateful."

The biggest challenge facing the production was how to accomplish the sprawling shoot on a tight thirty-five day schedule without compromising process or quality. "I like specifics, I don't like generalities," said Haggis. "I like a specific moment and hate sweeping through a scene. Having the time to get that specific with the actors and the details of the production design and lighting -- it's a real challenge."

For Moresco, the biggest challenge became "the biggest surprise in that we were able to map out a plan that allows us to work in a good fashion for thirty-five days and shoot the movie. That's the biggest surprise."

Key to the swift, satisfying shoot was the spirit of the cast and crew. "We're a little smaller, so we have to work a little harder," said Cheadle. "But the thing that makes it work better, I think, is that everybody's here for the love of the game. They're not here for the pay day. Everyone who's on board is here because they really believe in the film and when you get people coming from that point of view, you're not doing a lot of motivational speaking to get people to pony up and do their jobs. Everyone wants to do their jobs and they want to do their jobs well."

"It's been like a snowball rolling," says Schulman. "It just seems to gather more and more energy, strength, weight, beauty, people, collaborators. It seems wherever we turn, there's another person willing to jump on the bus with us and go for this ride. I've really never seen anything like that before."

As writer-director, Haggis knew exactly what he wanted from the actors, which translated to faster work on set. "Paul wants to rehearse it down to the 'T'. He wants to make sure everything is perfect," said Bridges. "He's a perfectionist and I'm the same way, so I can understand and deal with it. He wastes no time and makes sure everything is straight and to the point."

Tate adds: "Paul know his characters. He knows people. He gets it and to transfer that to paper and transform that to the screen with such clarity and precision. That's what Paul does."

"Paul moves fast. He knows what he wants and he's addicted to specificity," said Schulman. "I think Paul's commitment to the words, his training from television production, the addition of Jimmy Muro's camera movement, the small budget and sort of tighter aspects of having to move fast and furiously, have actually worked well for him."

For Director of Photography James Muro, the key to doing his job well was to understand the variety of light and looks in sunny Southern California. "Being a New Yorker, when I made the transition to Los Angeles, I realized and saw the differences between the cities," he said. "I realized that Los Angeles was a major player in the film. So, we're trying to treat the light, the street lights, what you find in the dark, in the shadows as different depending on where you are in L.A."

The shadow-filled photorealistic style Haggis sought and Muro delivers, serves to heighten the film's immediacy. "I saw urban gritty, moving camera -- you're there -- look," Muro says. "It's a rollercoaster. It's always different and that's why it's nice. I do like the excitement of the hand-held and all the moving camera, but other times call for you to sit back and look at the tableau."

Haggis and Muro use a variety of styles to differentiate the story's various points of view as well as its candid look at racism. "In the film, people talk the way they really would talk and you get an insight, so sometimes we have the camera spying on those moments. It's not just movie covers," said Muro. "Then there are times in the film where we just shoot it like a movie. Hopefully, that is juxtaposed with this visual 'crashing' idea that is going to take you through this story like an adventure."

As filmmakers moved around various Los Angeles locations, Muro says, they discovered an interesting variety of streetlights, which not only enhanced the mood, but helped to distinguish the locations in this sprawling film. "We stumbled onto a lighting scheme before the film began, just scouting locations," said Muro. "The way people meet in the crashes in the film, the different races collide and have different types of light that you find all over the city. Mercury, vapor, florescent, green -- all the stuff crashing down in different places. There's light and safety here -- and darkness over there."

Production Designer Bennett says "Paul and Jimmy have been very specific in what we shoot and exactly how it's framed and how we get there and how we get away from it," noting designers joke "If we do our job right, nobody notices." Nevertheless, Bennett, who designed for Haggis on the series "Easy Streets," said his task was to take the location heavy film and add specific elements to tweak it for the story.

"It was largely finding imagery and letting the found imagery inspire us in the things we do and create for the picture," said Bennett. "In Los Angeles, for example, you'll see shopping carts in the oddest places, filled with the oddest things. Or right next to somebody in a seventy-five thousand dollar SUV at the [freeway] off-ramp is a guy selling everything from hubcaps to pinatas to cachuetes. That's a beautiful contrast."

With a short preparation time for an intensive location shoot, cast and crew took full advantage of existing exteriors, including embracing the 2003 Christmas holidays, since decorations were already up throughout the city. "It just happened that way, but I think it's going to lend some poignancy to the story that this tale of hope and despair is taking place," Bennett said. "So everywhere we go, we're putting up Christmas decorations."

Schulman says the holidays underscore the themes in the film. "For those who look closely, you'll see crosses all over the place," she said. "You'll see that Christmas was a theme, but it's never spoken about, never once."

From Chinatown to the San Fernando Valley, from Santa Monica and San Pedro to the oil fields on South Fairfax Avenue, the intermingling narrative threads took the filmmakers from one side of Los Angeles County to the other. Familiar downtown locations included the Los Angeles City Hall and the intersection of Broadway and Ord. The Westwood exterior location used for the film's pivotal car jacking scene re-creates the actual incident as Haggis experienced it. Similarly, the latter car jacking series were filmed in an actual Sherman Oaks cul-de-sac -- as depicted in the screenplay. Other Valley locations included the long-standing Carney's Hot Dogs on Ventura Boulevard in upscale Studio City and private residences in Sherman Oaks and Lake Balboa. The exterior of Loyola High School on the west side's Venice Boulevard doubles for an emergency room entrance.

For the filmmaking team who dove into the challenge of making CRASH, few see it as just another film they did. For some, the story reveals more about individuals and society than many are comfortable with. "It just throws it out as it is, and it just allows the unspoken to be spoken," says Schulman.

For others, the story reveals more about themselves than they care to know -- much less show. "This story shows me that I'm a block away from falling apart. Just a block away," said Howard. "If you're honest, that's how it is for a lot of us. Just a block away from crashing...."

ABOUT THE CAST

CHRIS "LUDACRIS" BRIDGES (Anthony)

While Chris "Ludacris" Bridges has been embraced by music fans all over the world, he has become one of the most sought-after rising stars in the film industry. With his debut performance as Tej in the John Singleton directed 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS, Bridges has excelled in acting and has proven that music is only one of his many talents. Bridges next starts work on the Craig Brewer directed HUSTLE & FLOW, starring alongside Terrence Dashon Howard, DJ Qualls, and Anthony Anderson.

SANDRA BULLOCK (Jean Cabot)

Sandra Bullock is one of Hollywood's most sought after leading ladies. She was last seen opposite Hugh Grant in the romantic comedy TWO WEEKS NOTICE. The film, which she also produced, grossed over $200 million at the box office. Bullock has also ventured into the television arena by executive producing "The George Lopez Show," which is currently in its third season on ABC. She currently wrapped production on the highly anticipated sequel, MISS CONGENIALITY 2, which is due out early next year.

Following acclaimed roles in several motion pictures, Sandra Bullock's breakthrough came in the 1994 runaway hit, SPEED. Her next two features, WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING which earned a Golden Globe nomination and THE NET, were both critical and popular successes. Her subsequent starring roles include the recent box office smash FORCES OF NATURE, HOPE FLOATS, which marked her feature film producing debut; PRACTICAL MAGIC, which she also co-produced for her production company Fortis Films; GUN SHY, also for Fortis Films, SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL, A TIME TO KILL, IN LOVE AND WAR, TWO IF BY SEA, THE VANISHING, DEMOLITION MAN, WRESTLING ERNEST HEMMINGWAY and THE THING CALLED LOVE and the voice of Miriam in the animated film, THE PRINCE OF EGYPT. Other credits include the starring role in DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA YA SISTERHOOD for first time director Callie Khouri and the lead in the psychological thriller MURDER BY NUMBERS, which she also executive produced. Bullock made her debut as a writer/director with the short film MAKING SANDWICHES, in which she also starred with Matthew McConaughey and which debuted at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival.

Bullock has received numerous awards and nominations for her work, including two Blockbuster Entertainment Awards and two MTV Movie Awards for her role in SPEED; a Golden Globe nomination, an American Comedy Award nomination, two People's Choice Awards and two Blockbuster Entertainment Awards for her role in WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING; a People's Choice Award and Blockbuster Entertainment Award for her role in A TIME TO KILL; and a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the blockbuster hit MISS CONGENIALITY In 1996, Bullock was voted NATO/ShoWest Female Star of the Year.

DON CHEADLE (Detective Graham Waters)

Since being named the Best Supporting Actor by the Los Angeles Film Critics for his breakout performance opposite Denzel Washington in DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, Don Cheadle has consistently turned in powerful performances on the stage and screen.

Cheadle has a slate of films opening in the coming months. First, he appears as "Moore," a delusional underworld crime figure, opposite Pierce Brosnan and Selma Hayek in Brett Ratner's comedic heist AFTER THE SUNSET. Next, he will reprise his role as 'Basher Tarr' in Steven Soderbergh's OCEAN'S TWELVE, with a cast again led by George Clooney and Brad Pitt. In HOTEL RWANDA, Cheadle stars in the true story of a hotel manager who saves hundreds from slaughter during Rwanda's genocidal massacres of 1994. Cheadle produced and co-stars in the ensemble cast of CRASH, alongside Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon and Thandie Newton, and in THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON, he makes a cameo appearance as Sean Penn's best friend.

Cheadle's previous feature roles include OCEAN'S ELEVEN and the Academy Award-winning TRAFFIC, both directed by Steven Soderbergh, with whom Cheadle first worked on Universal's OUT OF SIGHT, in which he played "Maurice 'Snoopy' Miller." He played the memorable role of "Buck in Paul Thomas Anderson's serio-comic look at the porn industry in BOOGIE NIGHTS. He also starred in VOLCANO with Tommy Lee Jones, BULWORTH with Warren Beatty, SWORDFISH with John Travolta and Halle Berry and MISSION TO MARS with Tim Robbins and Gary Sinise. Cheadle received an NAACP Image Award nomination for his work in John Singleton's ROSEWOOD. He also delivered a memorable comedic cameo for director Brett Ratner as a guardian angel in Universal's FAMILY MAN opposite Nicolas Cage.

Cheadle has embraced independent features such as the all-digital MANIC, for director Jordan Melamed, and THE UNITED STATES OF LELAND opposite Ryan Gosling and Kevin Spacey. His powerful performance in Alison Anders' THINGS BEHIND THE SUN garnered Cheadle an Emmy and Independent Spirit Award nomination.

Cheadle is also well-recognized for his television work. He received a Golden Globe award for his remarkable portrayal of Sammy Davis Jr. in HBO's THE RAT PACK, a performance which was also nominated for a best supporting Emmy. That same year, he received a lead actor Emmy nomination for his starring role in HBO's adaptation of the critically-acclaimed, best selling novel A LESSON BEFORE DYING by Ernest J. Gaines, in which Cheadle starred opposite Cicely Tyson and Mekhi Phifer. He also starred for HBO in REBOUND: THE LEGEND OF EARL "THE GOAT" MANIGAULT, directed by Eriq La Salle.

Well known for his two-year stint in the role of 'District Attorney John Littleton' on David E. Kelley's critically-acclaimed series "Picket Fences," Cheadle's other series credits include a guest starring role on "ER" (a performance that earned him yet another Emmy nomination), a series regular role on "The Golden Palace"

and a recurring role on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Cheadle was also part of the stellar cast of the thrilling live CBS television broadcast of "Fail Safe in which he starred opposite George Clooney, James Cromwell, Brain Dennehy, Richard Dreyfuss and Harvey Keitel.

An accomplished stage actor, Cheadle originated the role of "Booth in Suzan Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Top Dog Underdog at New York's Public Theatre under the direction of George C. Wolfe. His other stage credits include "Leon, Lena, Lenz," at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis; "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Liquid Skin" at the Mixed Blood Theater in Minneapolis; "Cymbeline" at The New York Shakespeare Festival; "'Tis a Pity She's a Whore" at Chicago's Goodman Theater; and Athol Fugard's South African play "Blood Knot" at The Complex Theater in Hollywood.

Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Cheadle later relocated to Lincoln, Nebraska and Denver, Colorado before he finally settled in Los Angeles. He attended prestigious California Institute of the Arts (CAL ARTS) in Valencia, California, where he received his Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts. With the encouragement of his college friends, Cheadle auditioned for a variety of and television roles

while attending school and landed a recurring role on the hit series "Fame." This lead to feature film roles in "Colors" directed by Dennis Hopper, the John Irvin directed "Hamburger Hill," opposite Dylan McDermott, and "Meteor Man" directed by Robert Townsend.

A talented musician who plays saxophone, writes music and sings, Don Cheadle is also an accomplished director with the stage productions of "Cincinnati Man" at the Attic Theater, the critically-acclaimed "The Trip" at Friends and Artists Theater in Hollywood and "Three, True, One" at the electric Lodge in Venice, California on an already impressive resume.

Cheadle resides in Los Angeles.

MATT DILLON (Officer Ryan)

Matt Dillon's successful film career has spanned over two decades and has showcased his wide range of dramatic and comedic talents. From his breakthrough performance in THE OUTSIDERS to his hilarious turn as an obsessed private investigator in THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, he has proven himself to be one of the most diverse actors of his generation. Recently he wrote and directed his first feature, CITY OF GHOSTS, starring Gerard Depardieu, Stellan Skarsgard, and James Caan, as well as himself which was released by MGM/UA in April of 2003.

In 1990 Dillon won an IFP Spirit Award for his gritty performance as a drug addict in Gus Van Sant's DRUGSTORE COWBOY. From there he went on to star in such films as Ted Demme's BEAUTIFUL GIRLS opposite Uma Thurman and Natalie Portman, Cameron Crowe's SINGLES, IN & OUT with Kevin Kline, Kevin Spacey's ALBINO ALLIGATOR, Francis Ford Coppola's RUMBLE FISH, Garry Marshall's FLAMINGO KID, Van Sant's TO DIE FOR with Nicole Kidman, and John McNaughton's WILD THINGS.

Prior to CITY OF GHOSTS he made his directorial debut in 1997 with an episod of HBO's gritty prison drama "Oz." He has appeared on television in an HBO adaptation of Irwin Shaw's RETURN TO KANSAS CITY, and co-narrated the documentary DEAR AMERICA: LETTERS FROM HOME.

On stage Dillon starred on Broadway in "The Boys of Winter." He also appeared in the PBS/American Playhouse production of "The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters."

Dillon currently resides in New York.

JENNIFER ESPOSITO (Ria)

With an impressive body of work that encompasses both television and film, Jennifer Esposito has established herself as one of Hollywood's most versatile and sought after talents.

Esposito's talent has always been evident in her eclectic choices in films that have ranged from off the beaten path independents to Hollywood backed features. This year is no exception as she will be seen this spring in the romantic comedy BREAKING ALL THE RULES with Jamie Foxx, Morris Chestnut and Gabrielle Union. She will follow this Screen Gem's film in the fall with 20th Century Fox's studio comedy TAXI starring Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon.

Jennifer Esposito's long line of well received film roles include KISS ME, GUIDO, NO LOOKING BACK, BOYS LIFE 3 and JUST ONE TIME and major Hollywood features like I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. She's worked twice with Spike Lee, most notably in her breakthrough performance as Ruby, an aspiring punk singer whose boyfriend (Adrien Brody) is suspected of being the notorious Son of Sam killer in SUMMER OF SAM. She has also been featured in films such as SIDE STREETS and THE BACHELOR, Wes Craven's DRACULA 2000, DON'T SAY A WORD with Michael Douglas and Brittany Murphy (2001) and MADE with Jon Favreau.

WILLIAM FICHTNER (Flanagan)

William Fichtner will next be seen in EMPIRE FALLS for HBO Films starring Paul Newman and Ed Harris. Fichtner also recently wrapped production on a number a films including: the Dreamworks feature THE CHUMSCRUBBER directed by Arie Posin; CRASH directed by Paul Haggis and ULTRAVIOLET for writer/director Kurt Wimmer. He is currently filming THE MOGULS written and directed by Michael Traeger and starring Jeff Bridges.

Other credits include: Ridley Scott's BLACK HAWK DOWN, MGM's WHATS THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN, A PERFECT STORM, Jersey Films' DROWNING MONA, Paramount Classics' PASSION OF THE MIND, HBO's THE SETTLEMENT, Agnieska Holland's THE HEALER, Columbia/TriStar's GO, the box office hit ARMAGEDDON, Steven Soderbergh's THE UNDERNEATH, Michael Mann's HEAT, and STRANGE DAYS directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Fichtner was also seen as the blind astronomer in CONTACT, opposite Jodie Foster and starred in Kevin Spacey's directorial debut, ALBINO ALLIGATOR.

On television, Fichtner was most recently seen on NBC's "THE WEST WING. " In addition he played Dr. Bruce Kellerman on ABC's "MDs" as well as Pertochemist Ryan Sparks in "GRACE UNDER FIRE" during the show's premiere season.

As a member of the Circle Repertory Theater, Fichtner received critical acclaim for his performance in "The Fiery Furnace," directed by Norman Rene. Other theater work includes: "Raft of the Medusa" at the Minetta Lane Theatre, "The Years," at the Manhattan Theatre Club, "Clothes for a Summer Hotel," for the Williamstown Theatre Festival, "Battery" at the New York Theater Workshop, and "Machinal," at Joseph Papp's Public Theatre.

BRENDAN FRASER (Rick Cabot)

A versatile actor with a unique talent for tapping into the humane and often light-hearted nature of his characters, Brendan Fraser continues to display his diversity with his upcoming projects.

Fraser was most recently seen in the animated/live-action film LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION for Warner Bros. and director Joe Dante. The film follows Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Taz, Tweety and Fraser from Hollywood to Las Vegas to Africa in search of Fraser's father and the mysterious Blue Diamond.

In early 2002, Fraser starred in Phillip Noyce's critically acclaimed THE QUIET AMERICAN, based on Graham Greene's 1955 thriller of the same name. Fraser stars opposite Michael Caine and newcomer Do Hai Yen as an idealistic American aid worker who becomes embroiled in a tempestuous love triangle in 1952 Saigon. Tensions between the characters continue to escalate until the situation leads to murder.

In early 2001, Fraser re-teamed with director Stephen Sommers for Universal Pictures' blockbuster THE MUMMY RETURNS. Fraser reprised his role as the French Foreign Legion soldier Rick O'Connell in the sequel to the 1999 hit THE MUMMY and is reunited with his co-stars Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Arnold Vosloo. The sequel has grossed over $210 million internationally to date.

Also in 2001, Fraser appeared at the Lyric Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, in London in the West End production of Tennessee Williams' CAT ON A HOT TIM ROOF. Directed by Tony Award winner Anthony Page, Fraser played the role of 'Brick' opposite Frances O'Connor as Maggie Pollitt.

Fraser cemented his reputation as a major film presence in Stephen Sommers' 1999 smash hit action/horror adventure, THE MUMMY, for Universal Pictures. An ambitious retooling of the 1932 horror classic, this new version starred Fraser as an American serving in the French Foreign Legion, who becomes involved with an English archaeological expedition -- and the ancient secrets they unleash. His thoughtful and understated performance that same year in Bill Condon's Academy Award winning, GODS AND MONSTERS, gained Fraser wide-spread critical notices. Starring Sir Ian McKellen and Lynn Redgrave, the film is set in the "golden days" of Hollywood, and chronicles the controversial life and death of FRANKENSTEIN director James Whale.

His recent film credit's include Harold Ramis' BEDAZZLED co-starring Elizabeth Hurley and Frances O'Connor, Henry O. Selick's MONKEY BONE, Hugh Wilson's BLAST FROM THE PAST with Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, and Sissy Spacek. He then re-teamed with Wilson as the title character in the live-action DUDLEY DO-RIGHT with Sarah Jessica Parker and Alfred Molina.

In 1997, Fraser won hearts both young and old around the world in the title role of Walt Disney Productions' $100 million smash hit, GEORGER OF THE JUNGLE, based on the 1960's Tarzan spoof created by Jay Ward. Directed by Sam Weisman, and co-starring Leslie Mann, GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE follows the adventures of the gentle ape-man as he collides with love, civilization and a large number of stationary objects. That same year his performance in Jim Robinson's romantic comedy, STILL BREATHING, earned him the Best Actor prize at the 1997 Seattle Film Festival.

In addition to his acerbic-witted role starring opposite Shirley MacLaine in Richard Benjamin's MRS. WINTERBOURNE, Brendan is also noted for his performances in Les Mayfield's ENCINO MAN, Robert Mandel's SCHOOL TIES, Alek Keshishian's WITH HONORS, Michael Lehmann's AIRHEADS Michael Ritchie's THE SCOUT and his critically acclaimed performance in Showtime's THE TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS.

For the stage, Brendan received high praise for his work as the anxious writer in John Patrick Shanley's "Four Dogs and A Bone" at the Geffen Playhouse in which he co-starred with Martin Short, Parker Posey, and Elizabeth Perkins for director Lawrence Kasdan. Other stage credits include roles in Theater in Seattle.

Born in Indianapolis and raised in Europe and Canada, Brendan has been dedicated to honing his craft since an early age of 12 and began attending theater when his family lived in London. He attended high school at Toronto's Upper Canada College and received a B.F.A. in acting from the Actor's Conservatory, Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle.

Brendan currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and son.

NONA GAYE (Karen)

A native of Washington D.C., Nona Gaye is best known for her acclaimed performance opposite Will Smith as "Bellinda," Muhammad Ali's second wife in Michael Mann's ALI.

Nona appeared on stage for the first time when she was three weeks old with her father, soul legend Marvin Gaye. At six years old her father announced on the television show "Soul Train," that "She sings quite well." She was 14 years old when she cut her first demo and was signed to Atlantic Records at 16. In 1992 she released her first album, "Love for the Future," which received high praise from the music industry. She recently dueted with her father on his rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" for the NBA All-Star Weekend.

She added modeling to her career, shooting a campaign for Armani and walking the runway for Gianni Versace. In 2001 she returned to the recording studio, collaborating with Bono & Artists Against Aids Worldwide re-recording "What's Going On" as a call to stop the spread of AIDS in Africa.

After taking time to raise her son, Nolan, Nona began to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. Her first audition was for ALI. The result was her feature film debut, rave reviews, and a call from USA Today for a supporting actress Oscar nomination.

Nona recently co-starred opposite Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie Anne-Moss, as "Zee" in the two sequels to THE MATRIX trilogy; THE MATRIX: RELOADED, which was released in May 2003 and THE MATRIX: REVOLUTIONS, released at the end of the year.

She has wrapped production on POLAR EXPRESS in which she stars opposite Tom Hanks for director Robert Zemeckis for a November 2004 release. Nona begins filming XXX2: STATE OF THE UNION, opposite Ice Cube in late July.

TERRENCE DASHON HOWARD (Cameron Thayer)

Terrence is currently working on HUSTLE & FLOW for John Singleton in which he has the lead. He just wrapped EYES OF GOD ARE WATCHING opposite Halley Berry in which Oprah Winfrey produced. Before that he starred in LACKWANNA BLUES for director George Wolfe and HBO.

As one of the most consistent and promising young actors in recent years, Terrence Howard has been the recipient of the NAACP Image Award for outstanding supporting actor for his work in the feature film THE BEST MAN. His highly acclaimed and widely recognized role of, "Quentin" also earned Terrence an Independent Spirit Award and Chicago Film Critics Award. Prior to THE BEST MAN, Terrence had spent his time establishing himself as a powerful screen presence with riveting performances such as his role along side Richard Dreyfus in MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS. Terrence's ability to evoke emotion in audiences, such as with his "everyone loves to hate" role of "Cowboy" in DEAD PRESIDENTS gives Terrence an edge that many actors only strive for.

Throughout his career Terrence has proven that he can hold his own with huge stars including Jennifer Lopez in ANGEL EYES, Ice Cube who directed THE PLAYERS CLUB, Martin Lawrence in BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE, also Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell in HATRS WAR, BIKER BOYS with Lawrence Fishburne is Terrence's most recent feature release.

Howard also has an extensive television guest star resume including Showtime's "Soul Food," "NYPD Blue," "Law & Order," "Coach," "Picket Fences," "Living Single," and last season on Fox's edgy "Fastlane." His success in both television and film has given Terrence the unique advantage of being a viable crossover star.

Currently, Terrence has just completed work on the highly anticipated bio-pic UNCHAIN MY HEART: THE RAY CHARLES STORY also featuring Jamie Foxx. He is joining the cast of "Street Time" in its second season at Showtime.

Aside from his extensive film and television career Terrence is also a scholar. Howard holds degrees in Chemical Engineering from the Pratt Institute and a Masters in Physics from Cooper University.

THANDIE NEWTON (Christine Thayer)

Newton recently starred in THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK opposite Vin Diesel, Karl Urban and Dame Judi Dench opening June 11th for Universal Pictures. The sequel to PITCH BLACK, RIDDICK is a science fiction action-adventure epic that explores the journey of Richard B. Riddick who while trying to elude mercenaries who are bent on collecting the price on his head, finds himself having to save mankind.

She recently starred opposite Mark Wahlberg in Jonathan Demme's contemporary romantic thriller THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE, inspired by Stanley Donen's 1963 film CHARADE. Thandie received rave reviews for her astonishingly original and bold performance as the title character in Jonathan Demme's 1998 adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel, BELOVED co-starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover.

Born to a Zimbabwean mother and an English father, Thandie was born in London and raised in London and Zambia until she was three years old. Due to political unrest in Zambia, her family then relocated to England permanently.

At age 16, while studying modern dance at the London Art Educational School, she won the lead role in John Duigan's critically acclaimed 1990 coming-of-age film, FLIRTING, playing a Ugandan girl isolated in an Australian Ladies Academy who begins a romance with a teenage boy from a neighboring boarding school. After completing the film, Thandie returned to England to continue her education, earning a B.A. with honors in anthropology at Cambridge University, while also acting in feature films for some of Hollywood's most acclaimed director's - including Neil Jordan's INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE and James Ivory's JEFFERSON IN PARIS.

Newton also appeared as a troubled singer opposite Tupac Shakur and Tim Roth in Vondie Curtis-Hall's comedy-drama, GRIDLOCK'D, and won critics' praise as the exiled wife of an African leader in Bernardo Bertolucci's BESIEGED.

Newton can currently be seen guest-starring on NBC's hit drama ER playing a Congolese Aid Worker. This marks Thandie's American television debut.

Thandie Newton resides in England with her husband and daughter.

RYAN PHILLIPPE (Officer Thomas Hansen)

As an actor, producer, and writer, Ryan Phillippe has quickly established himself as one of Hollywood's most versatile young talents.

As an actor, Phillippe starred in many diverse roles beginning with his first film, Disney's WHITE SQUALL, enabling him to work with acclaimed director Ridley Scott. In his early films, Phillippe was able to work with exceptional actors and directors, those roles included; LITTLE BOY BLUE with Natassja Kinski, Greg Araki's NOWHERE (the third film in Araki's controversial trilogies), and HOMEGROWN with Billy Bob Thornton, PLAYING BY HEART with the ensemble cast of Sean Connery, Angelina Jolie and Gena Rowlands.

Starring roles soon followed in the Columbia box office smash I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, CRUEL INTENTIONS co-starring Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Michelle Gellar and Miramax's 54 with Mike Meyers.

Phillippe co-starred in Robert Altman's Oscar nominated film GOSFORD PARK; IGBY GOES DOWN with Susan Sarandon and Kieran Culkin; ANTI-TRUST for MGM co-starring Tim Robbins; Paramount Classic's COMPANY MAN with Sigourney Weaver; and Artisan's THE WAY OF THE GUN.

Phillippe recently wrapped Miramax's THE I INSIDE, a psychological thriller about a man who awakens in a hospital with amnesia and discovers that he has the capability to travel back in time and prevent the murder of his brother. He stars alongside Stephen Rea, Sarah Polley, Piper Parabo, and Robert Sean Leonard, directed by Roland Suso Richter.

Phillippe has also formed the production company "Lucid Films," with his partner, David Siegal, which is housed by Intermedia Films. Lucid Films produces projects for all mediums. The company's first production is WHITE BOY SHUFFLE.

Phillippe makes his home in Los Angeles with wife Reese Witherspoon and their two children.

LARENZ TATE (Peter)

Larenz Tate has earned the reputation as one of the most promising young actors in Hollywood. Tate, who received a Best Actor NAACP Image Award nomination for his role in Theodore Witcher's LOVE JONES, which won the Audience Award for Best Film at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, will next be seen in Warner Brothers' UNCHAIN MY HEART opposite Jamie Foxx.

Tate made his feature film debut in the Allen and Albert Hughes' drama MENACE II SOCIETY. His other film credits include Clement Virgo's LOVE COME DOWN, Warner Bros.' WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE opposite Halle Berry, Warner Bros.' THE POSTMAN opposite Kevin Costner, the Matty Rich comedy THE INKWELL, the Hughes brothers acclaimed film DEAD PRESIDENTS, Dreamworks' BIKER BOYZ opposite Laurence Fishburne and F. Gary Gray's A MAN APART opposite Vin Diesel.

On television, Tate earned recognition for his performance in the critically lauded Fox series "South Central," the ABC series "New Attitudes" and the CBS series "Royal Family."

Tate studied music, theater, and art with his two brothers Larron and Lahmard at the Inner City Cultural Center in Los Angeles. He made his professional acting debut in an episode of "The Twilight Zone-The Series."

Born in Chicago, Tate now resides in Los Angeles.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

PAUL HAGGIS (Co-Writer and Director)

In March of 2003, Razor magazine made a list of "nonconformists that defy dictates, the iconoclasts that cling to independent thought, the radicals that refuse adherence - that give us pause. They are what legends are made of." Along with Sam Shepard, Julian Schnabel, Baz Luhrmann, Lance Armstrong, Richard Branson, Robert Shapiro, John Irving and Bill Clinton, Razor magazine named writer-director Paul Haggis one of the "25 Mavericks of our time."

Paul is currently producing his second feature, MILLION DOLLAR BIRTHDAY (aka ROPE BURNS), which he wrote, based on two short stories by F.X. Toole about the boxing world. Clint Eastwood is directing and starring, along with Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank. Clint and Paul are producing with Al Ruddy, Lakeshore, and Warner Bros. Pictures.

Paul is currently adapting Bart Baker's comedic-drama manuscript, HONEYMOON WITH HARRY for New Line and Karz Entertainment (Mike Karz), which Paul hopes to direct in 2005.

Next, he will adapt James Bradley's WWII epic novel, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, for Steven Spielberg's Dreamworks Pictures and Clint Eastwood, which Clint will direct.

Paul has created a variety of shows for television, such as the critically acclaimed CBS series "EZ Street," which is his favorite. Although it had the shortest life, it still routinely turns up on critics' Top Ten lists. The New York Times recently named it one of the most influential TV series of all time, saying "without 'EZ Streets,' there would be no Sopranos."

Some of the other shows Paul has created are the quietly subversive buddy-comedy "Due South," the legal drama "Family Law," and a black comedy for CBS entitled "City." Prior to this, Paul wrote and produced a wide range of comedies and dramas, including "Thirty-Something," "L.A. Law" and "The Tracey Ullman Show."

Haggis is the recipient of many awards, including two Emmys, The Humanitas Prize, TV Critics Association Program of the Year Award, Viewers For Quality Television Founders Award, Banff TV Award, the Columbia Mystery Writers Award, six Geminis, two Houston Worldfest Gold Awards and the Prism Award.

He also recently accepted the EMA Award, the Genesis Award, the Ethel Levitt Memorial Award for Humanitarian Service and the WGA's prestigious Valentine Davies Award, awarded to Paul for "bringing honor and dignity to writers everywhere".

Haggis is co-founder of The Peace and Justice Project, and he's a member of the Board of Directors of The Hollywood Education and Literacy Project; For the Arts - For Every Child; the Environmental Media Association; and a founding board member of ECO, the Earth Communications Office. He is also member of The President's Council of The Defenders of Wildlife, and a member of the Advisory Board of The Center for the Advancement of Non-Violence.

BOBBY MORESCO (Co-Writer and Producer)

CRASH marks Bobby Moresco's first feature-film project as a co-writer and producer. Moresco has co-created and produced some of the most profound and critically acclaimed series on television including "E.Z. Streets," "Falcone," and "Millennium," which won the 1997 People's Choice award for Best New Drama of the Year. His other film credits include the upcoming MILLION DOLLAR BABY, to be directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman; ONE EYED KING, starring Chazz Palminteri, Armand Assante, and William Baldwin, which Moresco will also direct; and THE DINOSAUR, directed by John Irving and starring Armand Assante to be released in the Fall of 2004.

Moresco started out as an actor studying with Wynn Handman in New York and Peggy Fuery in Los Angeles, two of the world's great acting teachers and founders of The American Place Theatre and Loft Theatre, respectively. Bobby founded his own theatre company The Actor's Gym in 1978 in Los Angeles and has written, produced and/or directed over 35 theatrical productions, including directing Colin Quinn in "An Irish Wake" on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre and the critically acclaimed "Blackout," in Los Angeles whose cast included Carol Kane, Joe Mantegna, Wilmer Valderrama, Nora Dunn, Jason Gedrick and Justin Chambers.

CATHY SCHULMAN (Producer)

Schulman is a co-founder and partner in Bull's Eye Entertainment, an independent film and television production company that is currently in post-production on Mike Mills's THUMBSUCKER, starring Tilda Swinton, Vincent D'Onofrio, Keanu Reeves, Benjamin Bratt and Vince Vaughn. Her other film credits include the dark comedy EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH starring Christina Applegate, Matt Dillon and Steve Zahn, and GODSEND starring Robert De Niro, Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. Bull's Eye has a first-look feature film production deal with Paramount Pictures. Schulman previously served as president of production for Artists Production Group, where she supervised over fifty projects, including developing and securing financing for Martin Scorsese's acclaimed GANGS OF NEW YORK. As head of production for a joint venture formed between APG and media giant Studio Canal, she produced Edward Burns' SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK. She also associate produced TEARS OF THE SUN and ISN'T SHE GREAT?

Schulman is a graduate of Yale University and served as a Production and Acquisitions Executive at Sovereign Pictures, supervising a slate of feature films for international distribution, including MY LEFT FOOT, REVERSAL OF FORTUNE and THE COMMMITMENTS. She programmed the Sundance Film Festival for three years, was Vice President of Production and Acquisitions at the Samuel Goldwyn Company and was President of Lobell-Bergman Productions.

TOM NUNAN (Producer)

Nunan is co-founder and partner in Bull's Eye Entertainment, an independent film and television production company. Founded in November, 2002, Bull's Eye is a partnership between Nunan, former APG partner Cathy Schulman, and producer/financier Bob Yari. The company has already produced a comedy pilot for CBS, has multiple network and cable projects in development and has produced three motion pictures (CRASH, THUMBSUCKER and EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH).

Prior to forming Bull's Eye, Nunan was president of UPN, the fifth largest network in the United States. Nunan held several prominent positions at the other networks as well, running all of NBC Studios prime time production, heading Fox network's prime time and late night efforts after having run their comedy division, and being the lead executive in charge of movies for TV at ABC network. During his tenure as a network executive, Nunan has been responsible for the development of the following programs: "Martin," "Living Single," "King Of the Hill," "MAD TV," "The King Of Queens, "Profiler," "The Pretender," "Will & Grace," "Malcolm In the Middle," "The Bachelor" and "Dead Zone."

Nunan began his career as an executive at various independent television movie companies (Guber/Peters, Fries Entertainment, Weintraub Entertainment Group) before moving into the network executive suites.

A graduate of UCLA's motion picture and television school, Nunan currently resides in Venice Beach, California and continues a relationship with UCLA by teaching a television development and production course in the UCLA Masters Producing Program in association with UCLA's MBA program.

BOB YARI (Producer)

Yari's most recent production, Miramax's action-thriller HOSTAGE starring Bruce Willis, is currently in post-production. The movie was financed by Stratus Film Co., in which Yari is partnered with producer Mark Gordon. Other recent Stratus Film Co. productions include THE MATADOR starring Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis, LAWS OF ATTRACTION starring Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore for New Line, and Focus Features' WINTER PASSING starring Ed Harris, Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel.

Yari is partnered in Bull's Eye Entertainment with producers Tom Nunan and Cathy Schulman. Other upcoming Bull's Eye releases include THUMBSUCKER starring Tilda Swinton, Vincent D'Onofrio, Keanu Reeves, Benjamin Bratt, and Vince Vaughn; and EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH starring Matt Dillon, Christina Applegate, and Steve Zahn.

Yari is also involved in the production and financing of HOUSE OF D, David Duchovny's writing and directorial debut. The film is being produced in association with Ovation Entertainment. He is also aligned with William Morris Independent in El Camino Pictures, which most recently wrapped its first feature, LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG, starring John Travolta.

Yari began his career with Edgar J. Scherick Associates in Hollywood after receiving a degree in cinematography. He served as assistant director and

technical advisor on the NBC miniseries "On Wings of Eagles," as assistant director on CHECK POINT; as director of MIND GAMES; and as producer on PERFECT FIT. He most recently executive produced AGENT CODY BANKS, starring Frankie Muniz and Hilary Duff.

Yari's ventures in the real estate industry have included syndication, construction, development, and redevelopment of commercial and residential assets. He has a controlling interest in over 50 properties located across the country.

MARK R. HARRIS (Producer)

Mark R. Harris' long and diverse career in the entertainment industry is punctuated most recently with the formation of The Harris Company - an independent film and television production company. Currently in pre-production are the films CONVERSTAIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN starring Javier Bardem and MY DAD'S A FAMOUS FILM STAR that Michael Keaton is set to star in and direct.

Prior to establishing The Harris Company he created Regent Entertainment with his partners (Paul Colichman and Stevephen Jarchow) - a financing, production and world-wide distribution company where he produced the Academy Award winning GODS AND MONSTERS as well as the acclaimed TWILIGHT OF THE GODS among 25 other films.

In 1965 Harris took his fist post in the entertainment industry as an agent at the Ashley Famous Agency (ICM today) where he dealt with clients such as Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight and Burt Lancaster, along with many other notables. He worked along side David Geffen in the newly created rock and roll division of the agency with such artists as Joni Mitchell, Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan.

Harris was a pioneer in the world of television packaging for the international marketplace where he and his associates packaged such television mainstays as "Baywatch" and "America's Funniest Home Videos."

Harris' relationship with Paul Haggis began in 1977 when as his agent Mark sold Paul's first screenplay to Arnold Kopelson (PLATOON, THE FUGITIVE). Mark segued Haggis into television from sit-coms to the position of supervising producer on "Thirty-Something," an opportunity that earned Paul two Emmys. Harris would go on to co-executive produce the Haggis' created "EZ Streets" and "Family Law."

JAMES MURO (Director of Photography)

James "Jimmy" Muro recently made his cinematographic debut with Kevin Costner's OPEN RANGE. During his career as a camera operator, Muro worked with such directors as Michael Mann, James Cameron, and Oliver Stone; thrice he collaborated with camera crews on Academy Award-winning films for cinematography.

A New York native, Muro attended the The School of Visual Arts. He wrote and directed his first independent film in 1986, and soon thereafter was working as a camera operator on feature films. By 1989 he was a Steadicam operator for THE ABYSS.

LAURENCE BENNETT (Production Designer)

Laurence Bennett has worked on over twenty film and television projects since he began his career as a production designer. Bennett's film credits include the Ed Zwick directed MEN VS. WOMEN for Showtime, STEPHEN KING'S THINNER for Paramount, and MODERN GIRLS starring Virginia Madsen and Daphne Zuniga. His television credits include the upcoming ABC drama series "Grey's Anatomy" starring Patrick Dempsey, "Miracles," "Mister Sterling," the Golden Globe nominated "Once and Again" starring Sela Ward, the critically acclaimed "E.Z. Streets," and many more.

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