As the crash in the beginning occurs our attention is kept by making us ask so many questions, the film makes us think, by the time were into the third scene with the two white cops the film has already made us ask so many questions such as why would a black person be racist to another black person.
For this review I have selected to follow the story of two black youths aged around eighteen to about twenty-one. These two young men first appear when we get the flash back. They are in the first scene of the flash back and second scene of the total film. They first are seen coming out of a café discussing that the waitress who was black had not offered them the same stuff she had offered a white couple. Then we are introduced to the stereotype that film has pictured. Anthony (Ludacris) then sees that a white woman that walks bye is intimidated by the two black youths. With this they question her actions as why she was intimidated and with this they pull out guns and steal the car in which the white couple were in. they then drive the car and are listening to the radio. This scene contains large amounts of Black humour. The director has tried to make it that we feel sorry for them yet we resent them for their actions. Their conversation develops and Jamal starts stating that he is interested into country/blues. Ludacris is annoyed at the idea that his best friend is listening to songs about black people getting slaughtered during the racist periods of America’s history. By this scene is over the two youths having now driven over someone. Ludacris wants to keep going and not think about it but his companion says that they should help; with this the director makes us have some respect for the two for taking them to the hospital. As the story thickens more racial hate continues and we are shown that in Los Angeles there is a lot of racial hate towards black people and that it is being ignored. The director has done this not to emphasis the situation but rather to open the eyes of the audience.
We are then reintroduced to the two black youths yet again when they again try to steel another car. This time the person (black) rebels after he is constantly called a ‘nigga’. The black driver then sees that the cops are coming runs back into his car with Ludacris ‘hitching’ a ride with him without his permission. The driver and Ludacris bicker in the car whilst Jamal runs on foot from the cops. Luckily Jamal is able to escape. Ludacris on the other hand is almost caught. At this point there has been a lot of intertwining in this scene.
In the next scene we then see Jamal walking on his own trying to hitchhike a lift along an empty road. A cop that is off duty picks him up, and takes him down the road. They talk and then Jamal starts laughing the cop who is not sure whether this man is a criminal is scared and nervous. Jamal reaches into his pocket to pull out a small statue of st. Nicholas by this time the cops fears kick in and make him pull out a gun and shoot the not so innocent black youth to death. At this point the director has made it seem like this young black youth was killed because of what his skin colour was black. By doing this the director makes us amend the view of the black youth who was shot because he only frightened people he never physically harmed yet a enforcer of the law who’s supposed to protect people who in the beginning of the film is anti racism.
At this time Ludacris has got himself another car and has found out that it has illegal immigrants in it, he then takes the car and frees the immigrants into the city. By doing so, the director has made us see that Ludacris has got a heart and is not just cold hearted money minded criminal. We are then taken into a scene in which Jamal’s mother and Jamal’s Brother (Det. Graham Waters) are told that Jamal has died, when this happens the director has played some tragic music to add to the effect of the story. We are then taken back to the beginning of the film and we then find out that the snow is not snow yet it is ash and debris of a vehicle burning.
Personally I feel that the director made this to show the world that racism still exists in all parts of a community. The idea in which the director has made it so that the different stories of all the characters all link up is quite unique and that is why this film was so successful though the usage of black humour throughout the film is quite disgusting. Black Humour is the source of nearly all the violence/racism in areas today, this film has opened my eyes to racism and corruption everywhere, also the way that we learn of the ending first and then we learn of the plot is a really interesting idea and that’s why I like this film.
