1. Crash is a movie that pushes the limits of what we usually see in movies. It brings up lots of problems in society regarding race and stereotypes. Because of this, there are not a lot of scenes that make you feel comfortable. However, the scene that made me the most uncomfortable was when Matt Dillon’s character sexually assaults Thandie Newton’s character after pulling her and her husband over. Obviously, this is a very uncomfortable scene for the audience. The reason it made me feel so uncomfortable was because I did not expect Matt Dillon to take things so far. I knew from the moment they were pulled over that the cop would treat them wrong in some way. It is a white cop pulling over two African-American people in L.A. The chances of things going smoothly are slim to begin with. When he started to run his hands up her legs and under her dress, I was extremely surprised. I did not expect he would do something that wrong to someone. The other thing that surprised me was that it lasted a long time. It was not just a quick search. It was a long, offensive, power-abusing action.
2. I understand how Ryan Phillipe’s character is feeling in the movie. Now, I am not justifying his action of shooting Pete Waters. That was very wrong. But I can follow his train of thought. He starts off his job with a good sense of who he is and the morals he believes in. He knows that what his partner did to Christine Thayer was wrong, even though he assisted him in arresting her husband. Then he finds a way to redeem himself when Cameron Thayer gets pulled over. He stands up for him and risks his reputation, after only having the job for a short amount of time. He helps Cameron get away without getting in trouble. Still, we slowly see the LAPD start to corrupt him. He is becoming unsure of who he is and what is wrong and right to do. Then, when he picks Pete up and he starts to get frustrated with him, stereotypes overcome him which leads him to shoot him. What he did was wrong, but the audience, myself included, can follow his train of thought, unlike other characters like Matt Dillon whose actions make no sense whatsoever. I connect with him because I have also experienced having to make decisions based on what other people are saying and what my morals are. 
3. The film handled the topic of race very well. The writer takes an interesting approach to addressing the subject, and chooses to make things very obvious. They do not try to make the theme of race subtle and let the audience figure it out for themselves. This approach to race works very well for the plot of this story. The acting and production design also serves to address race in a tasteful, yet blatant way.
b. There was inter-racial prejudice in the film. The main scene that comes to mind that exemplifies this is when Anthony and Pete, two black characters, walk out of the restaurant. Anthony says that the black waitress at the restaurant would not bring them coffee. Instead, she served all the white customers first. Pete disagrees and says that this waitress could not have been racist towards her own race. Anthony then continues to observe that they are in a predominantly white neighborhood, making them stand out from the crowd.
c. Los Angeles is a very diverse and unique area. There are a wide range of people, ranging from drug dealers to celebrities. There are high rates of poverty in some L.A. areas, making it hard for these citizens to live here. The harsh treatment of the LAPD also plays a part. They have a reputation for violent treatment, which is not a pleasant element to have in a city. L.A. is very diverse which is a good thing. The diversity brings lots of different cultures, restaurants, stores, and businesses to the city, making it all the more interesting. The presence of the media also impacts the area greatly. L.A. is Hollywood which means there are lots of celebrities and paparazzi around. This “celebrity culture” is a large part of the area, and can be good or bad, depending on how you look at it.
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