Crossing Over (2009)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Wayne Kramer

Writer:

Wayne Kramer (written by)

Release Date:

26 February 2009 (Bahrain)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Every day thousands of people illegally cross our borders... only one thing stands in their way. America.

Plot:

Crossing Over is a multi-character canvas about immigrants of different nationalities struggling to achieve legal status in Los Angeles...

Plot Keywords:

Green Card | Fraud | Shootout | Robbery | Female Rear Nudity

Cast

Harrison Ford	...	Max Brogan
Ray Liotta	...	Cole Frankel
Ashley Judd	...	Denise Frankel
Jim Sturgess	...	Gavin Kossef
Cliff Curtis	...	Hamid Baraheri
Alice Braga	...	Mireya Sanchez
Alice Eve	...	Claire Shepard
Summer Bishil	...	Taslima Jahangir
Jacqueline Obradors	...	Special Agent Phadkar
Justin Chon	...	Yong Kim
Melody Zara	...	Zahra Baraheri (as Melody Khazae)
Merik Tadros	...	Farid Baraheri
Marshall Manesh	...	Sanjar Baraheri
Nina Nayebi	...	Minoo Baraheri
Naila Azad	...	Rokeya Jahangir

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, some strong violence and sexuality/nudity.

Runtime:

USA:113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44822) | Singapore:M18 | Norway:15 | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Germany:16 (f) | UK:18 | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 | Japan:PG-12 | Mexico:B15 | Portugal:M/16 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

C.O. Films

Trivia:

Director Wayne Kramer's original cut was 140 minutes long, but despite having the right to final cut he agreed to be involved in editing the film down to two hours when Harvey Weinstein allegedly threatened to release the film straight to DVD, and bypass theatrical altogether.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Near the beginning of the movie, there is a scene where Harrison Ford's character is booking a prisoner into a detention center for illegal immigrants. In this scene the booking officer is incorrectly wearing the uniform of a CBP Enforcement Officer instead of an ICE Immigration Enforcement Agent.

Quotes:

Special Agent Howell: You see what's interesting Miss Shepard is we ran a check on your name. A Claire Shepard arrived on a B-2 visitors visa seven months ago and then just two days ago she has her status adjusted to an EB-1 green card for persons of extraordinary ability. According to The Internet Movie Database, the only Claire Shepard that matches your spelling, age and place of birth has two credits on little known Aussie TV shows. Walk on roles. She hasn't won any national or international awards
Special Agent Ludwig: which is something the adjudicator who handled your case would have to have been aware of and yet he approved you for an EB-1. Miss Shepard we'd like you to tell us about your relationship with center adjudications officer Cole Frankel?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Miss March/Race to Witch Mountain/Sunshine Cleaning (#1.3)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Mistake the Enemy

Riley"s Review: Crossing Over

Upon looking at the cover of the DVD case, I was quite skeptical about how good this movie really is. It seemed like it would be sub-par because of the fact that Blockbuster sponsored its release to DVD. Also, the fact that Crossing Over is a lame and cliché title for a immigration movie added more reasons to my skepticism.

Anyways, I popped the DVD in. Harrison Ford playing his usual role, a law enforcement/cop/detective actually gave a good performance. I am a big fan of the character of Amid in this film. His emotions were real and his performance during the hold-up scene in the Korean Convenience store was suspenseful and emotional.

I felt some connections to Crash; with all the interconnectedness between the characters. Despite the cool and intriguing effect of the relationships between the characters, it still wasn't amazing as Crash's.

If I had to pick a scene, no doubt would I choose the Koreantown convenient store scene. One of the best I have seen.

I am shocked that this movie was on limited release. If you want to explore a new topic in illegal immigration, with good performances and recognizable actors then this movie is definitely worth the rent. The overall message of this movie is pro-immigration, but it is an interesting and emotional ride to catch a glimpse of the hard and sacrificial life of an immigrant.