Midnight

Crash (1996)

Buckle up, David Cronenberg’s audacious adaptation of J. G. Ballard’s “unfilmable” novel pushes into bold new territory. The director’s trademark obsession of body and flesh collides with cold steel and hot asphalt when a man survives a brutal wreck and becomes dangerously drawn into a mysterious subculture that explores the link between erotic fulfillment and vehicular violence. Cronenberg’s Crash ignited controversy and criticism, with his transgressive epic of sex and car crashes notoriously receiving an NC-17 rating from the MPAA. James Spader, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas, Deborah Kara Unger, and Rosanna Arquette fill out a stellar ensemble cast.

“The result is challenging, courageous and original” – Roger Ebert

“As with Dead Ringers, Cronenberg approaches a touchy concept with a mixture of icy tact and cinematic daring, always informing the willfully perverse material with a penetrating intelligence and (almost subliminally) very black wit.” – Kim Newman, Empire