WalterFrith

The best film of 2005 IS the best because it examines race not just from different cultures but from many different classes of society as well. The powerful, the rich, the poor, the middle class and the emotionally disturbed all clash in a film that continues to try and teach us that we are all the same at the same time as we are all different. As I put the pieces of this ensemble together, comparing it to films like the safe and dated 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner', to the eternally relevant and timeless classic 'Do the Right Thing' serve to show 'Crash' as truly unique and invigorating because its tragic and near tragic moments leave it open for debating how we rationalize our fears based on our treatment of each other which often gets out of control as quickly as a fire and we are unable to control it.

David Cronenberg works best when his psychological and macabre sense of blood curdling chills is done while involving the real world. Films like 'Scanners', 'The Fly', and 'eXistenZ' will always have a special place with me but when Cronenberg's "mad scientist" vision invades his camera lens in a more realistic sense such as in 'The Dead Zone' or 'Dead Ringers', we are left imagining what the possibilities of human nature are from a more constructive point of view. This film, about a man's mysterious past with gangsters and how it comes back to haunt him and his family is made all the more compelling by performances from Ed Harris, Maria Bello and the long forgotten William Hurt in a comeback role that has him in one of the most unique supporting performances of the year. Viggo Mortensen proves he can act quite well away from the land of 'Lord of the Rings' and turns in great work here. This may be David Cronenberg's best film ever.

Steven Spielberg is far from done as a film maker. As a 30+ year veteran of the big screen, Spielberg is continuing to evolve and re-invent himself with each decade. From the popcorn entertainment of 'Jaws' and 'Close Encounters' in the 70s to the moving human feelings obtained from 'E.T.' and 'The Color Purple' in the 80s to the world shaking 'Schindler's List' and 'Saving Private Ryan' in the 90s to the present, Spielberg is in total control because his true talent is in his choices. 'Munich' takes no side in the dispute between two sides in the most volatile conflict of the last 50 years on planet Earth. By taking no side, Spielberg has managed to take both sides and show them as equally flawed and equally human. The subject matter is the star performer of this film and the actors are merely taking their cues from it and while this film has been heavily criticized for its politics, no matter how this film was presented, it would have been criticized. How then do you make a film this sensitive in subject matter so attractive? Only Spielberg knows and he has managed to convey his vision convincingly. Extraordinary.