Crash

1. In the film, it's very obvious that people's stereotypes get in the way of truly getting to know other people. In the scene where the Hispanic locksmith is working for the Persian man, we can easily tell that the Persian man sees the Hispanic differently because of his race. This is ironic though, because we have seen the Persian man get treated differently for the same reason when he was trying to buy a gun. In this situation, he doesn't realize how he's be hypocritical; his racism overshadows it. It's extremely obvious too, because the locksmith is completely cordial to the Persian man, even though he's yelling at him, saying that the locksmith is trying to cheat him. Later however, when the Persian man goes to the locksmith's house with a gun and tries to shoot him, he seems to realize that maybe he was wrong. This act could have had dire consequences, but he was lucky, and he only has to live with the guilt of what could have been.

4. One of the most prominent stereotypes in the film is the two black men. They essentially create this stereotype for themselves, like when they steal the District Attorney's car. They are aware of how they are viewed, and complain about it, but they only perpetuate this stereotype because of how they act. In the beginning, we view them as criminals for stealing the car. But as the film goes on and we get to know them a little better, we can almost sympathize with them. I think the real "twisting" happens with one of the black men gets picked up by the cop, Ryan Phillipe. It seems as though because the man is black, the cop is more cautious, and gets extremely nervous when they start to argue. And when the man reaches into his pocket, the cop automatically assumes he's pulling out a gun, and he shoots him. I think this is one of the most surprising parts of the movie. It makes the viewer realize that you really can't stereotype people, no matter what, because you never know when someone can surprise you.