Smallscreen Reviews

Review: Starz 'Crash' a sober reckoning for season two

By April MacIntyre Sep 18, 2009, 5:23 GMT

Roberts is so damned good, he nearly upstages Hopper, no easy feat. These two lions are the tent pole of the whole series. The two sang each other\'s praises at the recent summer TCA\'s in Pasadena. When I asked Roberts what his favorite film was of Hopper\'s, he shared that it was "Easy Rider." Hopper didn\'t hesitate in naming his favorite Roberts\' film work, "The Pope of Greenwich Village," he said when asked the same question. Photo courtesy of Starz

Starz woven vignette series, "Crash," continued the original film's premise on the smallscreen, using Los Angeles as the cement-colored backdrop for a cast of addicts, corrupt cops and damaged souls to careen into each other. 

The idea worked, and the cast, led by Dennis Hopper, was clicking on all cylinders.

Starz primetime premiere of "Crash" season two airs on September 18th at 10PM ET/PT.

The second season will not disappoint fans, although a big hole exists for me still with the absence of Nick Tarabay, my favorite bad cop from last season. He will be seen again in "Spartacus", the period visceral showpiece planned for January by Starz.

What consolation we do get is the return of "the man" (per Mickey Rourke), the underappreciated actor Eric Roberts as a billionaire Seth Blanchard, whose mission is to return NFL football to Los Angeles.  Seth chews Vicodins like Tic Tacs, and suffers a near-death spiritual encounter that sets him on a dogleg path from his usual routine.

Roberts is so damned good, he nearly upstages Hopper, no easy feat. These two lions are the tent pole of the whole series.  The two sang each other's praises at the recent summer TCA's in Pasadena. When I asked Roberts what his favorite film was of Hopper's, he shared that it was "Easy Rider."  Hopper didn't hesitate in naming his favorite Roberts' film work, "The Pope of Greenwich Village," he said when asked the same question.

The series also benefits from the impressive talents of Ross McCall, whose Kenny Battaglia is reeling from his upended life, ravaged by siren Inez, who was catnip to his weak-willed character last season.  Kenny's a lucky bastard, and the first two episodes have our handsome ex cop stepping in manure and come out smelling like roses, nailing a sweet real job with his new Patron, Seth.

Also returning is actor Jocko Sims, who treads warily with his old boss Ben Cendars, (Dennis Hopper) and his character Anthony serves as a spiritual Rosetta stone for Cendars coming to terms with his daughter's murder.  Anthony is the glue that keeps Cendars feet to the ground.  Sims plays him with the right amount of hope and caution with the always unpredictable Cendars, thanks to Hopper's pinging energy.

Inez (Moran Atias) fans will see the temptress working her wares in a gentleman's club, picking yet another bad man to hook up with.  Dana Ashbrook is cast as Jimmy, a charismatic gambler who skirts the law; Linda Park is Seth's addicted wife as Maggie, a children's book author who medicates the pain of her barren union, Jake McLaughlin is a new character Bo, a former high school pitching ace derailed by career ending injury and a needy mother, Wendy (Tess Harper) and Julie Warner is cast as Andrea, the administrative right-hand to Seth who is not keen on Kenny's new role in the empire.

The show percolates at the right speed and balances a swath of compelling storylines that make the sophomore season a welcome adult drama for the fall.

Recommended.

The first episode of the new season of "Crash," a co-production of Starz
Entertainment and Lionsgate, will debut on Comcast On Demand for all VOD
customers and also on Fancast beginning September 11th, while the second
episode will debut on September 18th. High definition and standard definition
versions of the premiere episodes of "Crash" will be available for the sneak
preview where available.

Starz primetime premiere of "Crash" season two airs on September 18th at 10PM ET/PT.

Production notes:

Headed by executive producer Ira Steven Behr, the creative team for season two includes executive producer James DeMonaco as well as executive producers Paul Haggis and Bob Yari, and co-executive producers Bobby Moresco, Tom Nunan, Don Cheadle, Mark Harris, Jorg Westercamp and Thomas Becker, all of whom were key members of the Oscar-winning movie Crash.  Glen Mazzara is consulting producer.  New this year with Behr and DeMonaco are supervising producers Todd Harthan and Elizabeth Benjamin, consulting producer Devon Shepard and executive story editor
Jennifer Schuur. Lester Berman is producer.