Crossing Over (2009)

Crossing Over is a multi-character canvas about immigrants of different nationalities struggling to achieve legal status in Los Angeles. The film deals with the border, document fraud, the ... See full summary »

Director:

Wayne Kramer

Writer:

Wayne Kramer (screenplay)

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Sheperd
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

Storyline

Crossing Over is a multi-character canvas about immigrants of different nationalities struggling to achieve legal status in Los Angeles. The film deals with the border, document fraud, the asylum and green card process, work-site enforcement, naturalization, the office of counter terrorism and the clash of cultures.

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Plot Keywords:

immigrant | naturalization | green card | fraud | motel sex | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [France] Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Korean Persian Spanish Arabic

Release Date:

4 August 2010 (France)

Also Known As:

Droit de passage

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$77,370 (USA) (27 February 2009)

Gross:

$454,149 (USA) (17 April 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Weinstein Company, The, Kennedy/Marshall Company, The, Movie Prose

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 140 min (original)

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Wayne Kramer's original cut was 140 minutes long, but despite having the right to final cut, this film's producer 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 (Kramer had nothing to do with the re-editing).

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Goofs

In Gavin's interview scene, the immigration officer relies on the Rabbi's opinion. The garb and the accent of the Rabbi suggest he is a European Orthodox (probably Lubavich), yet in the end he gives Gavin a card, saying he should come to Temple Bet Sholom. "Temple Bet Sholom" is typically a name for splinter Reform congregations, whose rabbis are mostly American- or Canadian-born (therefore no accent), and wear contemporary clothes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Max Brogan: What do you want me to do?
San Pedro ICE Processing Agent: Look, it's not my problem.
Max Brogan: All I'm asking, Stevens, is did the old man get seen to? He was sweating and shaking when I put him on the bus. He said his arm felt numb.
San Pedro ICE Processing Agent: Jesus Christ, Brogan, everything is a humanitarian crisis with you. You've signed off on more orders of recognizance than the rest of your unit combined.
Max Brogan: Don't give me that shit. The man's about to have a goddamn heart attack. I want him seen to.

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Duplicity/Knowing/I Love You, Man (2009)

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Soundtracks

Beni Beni (Acoustic)
Written by Azam Ali, Ramin Torkian (as Loga Ramin Torkian), Carmen Rizzo
Performed by Niyaz
Courtesy of Six Degrees Records
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

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.