In the movie “Crash,” director and screenwriter Paul Haggis puts you in the shoes of an ethnically diverse group of people living in Los Angeles, all affected differently by racial stereotypes. The lives of complete strangers collide with issues of race, and a seemingly choppy narrative begins to come together.

This movie hits you over the head with the same message over and over again: Everyone in America is guilty of racial stereotyping. The Persian storeowner loses everything when his store is broken into and vandalized with words associating his family with 9/11 terrorists. The Latino locksmith, a man struggling to support his family, overhears the rich housewife demanding to her husband that a gang-banger not change the locks. The district attorney tries to hold onto “the black vote” after newspapers report that his car was stolen by two black men. A bigoted white cop scandalously interrogates the wife of a successful black director.

And the list goes on.

We know Don Cheadle from “Hotel Rwanda,” Brendan Fraser from “George of the Jungle,” Sandra Bullock from “Miss Congeniality” and rapper Ludacris from the Billboard charts. But don’t let their traditional roles deceive you. This is one of the most profound dramas of the year, and the actors do a great job crossing genres. Bullock makes a great cold-hearted housewife.

The cast is loaded with big names, also including Ryan Phillippe and Matt Dillon (who recently starred in “Igby Goes Down” and “Employee of the Month,” respectively). Such big-name cameos, however, are more than just flashy marquee additions — they all deliver strong performances.

You have to be in the right mood to see “Crash;” it’s the perfect choice for a Sunday matinee. It was an overly dramatic drama — literally a nail-biter.

— Perris Richter