This ensemble multi-ethnic cast turns in solid performances in this formulaic treatment of the everyday dramas faced by the hard working folks at Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mexican, Chinese, Palestinian, Australian and Persian plots carom off each other like Olympic Billiards as Harrison Ford, (whose obviously impending retirement is thankfully never mentioned), his heart bleeding from frame one to the credits, leads a solitary existence in an apartment at what has to be the Alimony Arms Hotel. There is no attempt to patch over the Crash/Babel formula; the film embraces it and comes up with some fine set pieces like a gripping intervention (Cliff Curtis and Justin Chon) during a convenience store robbery/shootout. The aerial views of L.A. will make natives want to freeze-frame future DVDs to ID where we are. The climax (NO SPOILER) is played against an attenuated rendering of the National Anthem and packs a punch. Unfortunately, there has to be another five minutes of Tying Up Loose Ends. Does it sound like I didn't like this much? On the contrary, it was 113 minutes well spent and shouldn't have been relegated to the Purgatory of February. April, maybe?
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yogi-1421 February 2009
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DICK STEEL10 April 2009Like Crash, Fast Food Nation and Babel before it, Crossing Over consists of multiple story lines bound together by a common theme examined, sometimes with just a few characters straddling across the narrative threads to link them up explicitly. Writer-director Wayne Kramer examines the issues behind the illegal immigrant problem in USA who are either trying to lay low in avoiding the law, or trying their best to gain legal residency with each experiencing different challenges that lie ahead in their quest.
And it's quite ambitious for Kramer to try and pull off no less than seven parallel threads in the film, which to a certain extent I felt was largely successful, despite some being almost peripheral if not for the presence of a recognized star. Anchored by Harrison Ford as Max Brogan, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, the film weaves in and out of the different threads without feeling too forced, or the need for some compulsory and carefully designed moments to link the stories up intricately. Sometimes like the six degrees of separation, the film captures the fact that we don't have full details of that web of links, and it will feel very artificial if everyone knew everyone else, or if one event would impact severely on another.
In any case, each of the story lines were engaging enough, some employing deep emotions to argue their case, while others even had to build to a crescendo of all out action, such as a supermarket shootout (one of the nicely executed ones I've seen). There's an illegal Mexican woman (a very short role by Alice Braga) who begs Ford's Max to look after her young son in the care of unfriendly relatives, a Jewish musician (Jim Sturgess) who's waiting to qualify for residency and willing to do just anything to get there, his Australian girlfriend (Alice Eve) and Hollywood actress wannabe who had granted 2 months worth of on-demand sexual favours to an Immigration official (Ray Liotta) in exchange for a green card, whose wife (Ashley Judd) wants to adopt a child placed in a detention centre, who meets an Iranian girl (Summer Bishil whose essay failed to condemn the terrorists of 9/11 and gotten her and her family into hot soup. Then there's a Korean family who is waiting to be naturalized whose eldest son got involved with thugs (ala Gran Torino rites of passage style), and another ICE agent (Cliff Curtis) whose family cannot stand their estranged sister whom they feel is a disgrace of their values, tradition and custom by adopting the lifestyle of Americans, yet strangely ironic as they too pursue to be American citizens.
Phew, and all this with a little murder mystery thrown into the mix as well. It's about how one aspires to live in a country, yet uncompromising in one's position to adopt and adapt to the new environment. Which brings about some xenophobia, especially if one's too different from the rest, and things are made worst with the citizens unwilling to understand and lend assistance in assimilation to a new country and its idiosyncrasies.
But what seemed to be a common theme here, is how power can be either used to do what's probably morally right, versus abusing it for personal gain. Given three of the lead characters here are law enforcement or in responsible positions in government agencies, it's easy to abuse privilege, and it's nothing new too, even in local context, where sexual favours get traded for leniency or the closing of an eye pertaining to illegal workers, or those here without the proper papers. And since the law is fixed (and sometimes perverse by those who interpret it), and justice blind, I suppose there are times we may be compelled to lend a hand to a stranger out of nothing but on humanitarian grounds, in doing what's right and decent for a fellow human being.
Crossing Over presents many of such situations and while it may be a mixed bag in its narrative, it certainly pushes the right buttons with its star-studded ensemble cast in making the audience think about, empathize with, and examine if the issues presented could have existed in the local context, with similar challenges in the treatment of those who are illegal immigrants. -
dfranzen7015 September 2009Unlike Crash, another recent disparate-people-dealing-with-a-sociological-issue movie, Crossing Over is poignant, stirring, and rousing, capturing what must be the wrenching experience of being an immigrant, legal or otherwise, in the United States. Led by Harrison Ford, the ensemble cast touches all the bases. Although the movie can be very difficult to watch at times, owing to its subject matter, it's a tough-minded look at the often-tragic issue of immigration.
Ford plays Max Brogan, an INS agent stationed in Los Angeles, who decides to help an illegal textile worker (Alice Braga) by making sure that the woman's son is taken to his grandmother (the woman's mother) in Mexico when the woman is detained. Meanwhile, Max's partner Hamid Baraheri (Cliff Curtis), struggles to reconcile his job with the culture of his family (Iranian) and the reckless behavior of his younger sister. Ray Liotta plays Cole Frankel, an adjudicator who determines the status of immigrants and their green cards; Alice Eve is an aspiring Australian actress who has to degrade herself to lengthen her stay in the country; Ashley Judd plays Liotta's wife, who defends immigrants in status cases. In a parallel storyline, a young Korean youth, days before his family's naturalization ceremony, makes a decision that could have terrible consequences.
All of these story lines are intricately intertwined, but here's where the movie differs from Crash: the interactions of the various characters never feel forced or insincere, and the characters themselves are not simple good people doing bad things or bad people doing good things.
The acting is uniformly grand. Ford, who rarely plays nonhero roles let alone supporting roles, is excellent as the crusty, world-weary agent, trying desperately to solve a serious crime that may hit close to home while also doing the right thing by the young textile-worker mother. Also shining is Judd (and, to a lesser extent, Liotta, although he plays the same character in many of his movies now - a slimeball), but really sealing the deal is Curtis (10,000 BC, Sunshine) as the conflicted agent of Iranian descent.
Like the issue of immigration itself, the movie is complicated, almost detrimentally so, but the conflict should certainly resonate with its audience, even if one is not an immigrant or part of a family that has recently immigrated. Certain scenes are almost deadly with their pathos, figuratively rending your heart as they play out. Emotionally gripping scenes such as these (particularly near the end of the film) exemplify precisely the kind of psychological gymnastics that a director must undertake for a film like this to have any sort of positive effect on its audience. That is, the entire issue of immigration is fraught with anger, deceit, terror, and sadness, and it can be tricky to walk the line between one feeling or another, lest one be accused of bias.
Crossing Over falls into none of the traps that Crash fell into. Its character-driven storyline is brimming with plausible conflict that eclipses the usual cops-and-illegals pastiche, choosing instead to deal with problems on a more individual level. The result is an honest, illuminating look at a sometimes-vexing subject, although it is clearly not for all tastes. -
Jawsphobia17 March 2009Apart from the usual movie-movie technology of enhancing a license plate from grainy dots to sharp numbers, I had nothing against this movie. I strongly disagree with the apparent consensus and the low tomatometer rating. Crossing Over is an emotional film, and makes points that will be unpopular. The film creates empathy for someone we at first shrink from, namely the 15 year old Bangali girl who inflames her classmates on the topic of 9/11. She had forgotten what happened to Bill Maher. Meanwhile Harrison Ford's character Max Brogan gets razzed for any show of empathy or concern for the people is team have to process through immigration. He puts a weathered human face on a job that must be unpleasant. We understand when that climate - peer pressure - causes him to stop short of helping someone in a timely fashion, and Ford is very watchable doing the most mundane things as he confronts the consequences of compromise. I don't feel connections between the characters are implausible. It gives unity to the overall comment on community and who should be included and who should not.
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rileye-wilson3 July 2009Upon 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. -
george.schmidt18 March 2009CROSSING OVER (2009) **1/2 Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Jim Sturgess, Cliff Curtis, Summer Bishil, Alice Braga , Alice Eve. A mix of "Babel" and "Crash" in the culture clash study of immigration in the US with a decent ensemble with some nice work by Ford as an aging fed who tries to find the humanity in his soul-crushing work; Curtis as his partner who has a memorable speech in a convenience store hold-up; and especially Bishil as an opinionated student whose speech at school land her in hot water. Filmmaker Wayne Kramer walks an uneven balance of the political and social upheavals in this well-acted drama in this post-9/11 treatise on the melting pot of America.
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rmax30482326 August 2010A recent movie, "Traffic," had a name star in the lead -- Michael Douglas -- and was a nearly seamless blend of a couple of related stories about heroin, where it comes from and how it gets here. The film was neatly done. There were competent actors in relatively minor pats -- Benjamin Bratt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Benicio Del Toro, Miguel Ferrer, and the like. The segments dealt with a city in Ohio (photographed in a dismal blue), Mexico (sun-baked yellow), and Los Angeles (noon-bright). It was a nicely done docudrama in which the personal mingled with the strictly economic. Following on the success of "Traffic" was "Syriana," which attempted a similar structure and was put together by some of the same talents. It was about the oil industry and was less successful, except in showing us that the deserts of some Middle Eastern countries look less like Lawrence of Arabia territory and more like Las Vegas.
"Crossing Over" is another stab at the same structure, only this time the social issue addressed is immigration, legal and otherwise. The name star is Harrison Ford, and minor roles are filled by Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta, and other faces, some less familiar than others.
Although the stories are photographed similarly, there's no problem following the separate threads because the problems with immigration involve groups that are visibly separate from one another -- Iranian, Mexican, Japanese, and Australian. Maybe other snippets that I missed.
It's probably a better movie that "Syriana" but less polished than the holotypic "Traffic." Drugs bind everyone together in an interdependent network, while immigration problems divide them into competing groups. The film seems less of a whole because of that.
Almost as if in compensation for that weakness, the comment on our everyday lives is more striking. Junkies may perk up their ears at the flow chart for heroin but most of the rest of us will just shake our heads and go tsk tsk. Well, what else are we going to do? Opiates have been with us for years.
But illegal immigration -- now, that's a hot button issue. We're ALL involved today. We're tearing our hair out over "undocumented aliens." They're coming here as scofflaws, taking our jobs, filling up our emergency rooms, ignoring civic responsibilities, not paying taxes but taking advantage of our welfare services, elbowing us out of our own libraries and holding up 7/11s and all the rest of the stereotype.
But this movie doesn't pander to the xenophobes among us. A high-school girl, a legal citizen of Iranian extraction, covers her head at school and reads a paper in which she argues that the jihadists on 9/11 -- whatever else they may have been -- were not the "cowards" they're so often called. She doesn't condone what they did but claims that at least they forced the United States to pay attention to the plight of Moslems in places like Palestine and the Gaza strip. She acts defiant, stupidly. She's ridiculed by her class, yanked out of school, has her computer scanned by ICE, and winds up in a detention center for young girls. (Saying something similar -- challenging the use of the word "cowards" -- was what got Bill Maher kicked off network television.) What does this little story do for our hot buttons? The least that can be said for it is that it makes us think twice about "freedom of speech", and, in my humble opinion, anything that prompts us to think before forming judgments is a moral thing.
I described it before as a "docudrama," which isn't quite accurate because the stories are fictional, as far as I know. Still, it's educational in a way that documentaries are educational. We're up in arms about "anchor babies". Most of us, judging from what I've read on the internet, assume that when an illegal couple has a baby in the US, not only is the infant a citizen but somehow, magically, the parents too become citizens. (Do they rush across the Rio Grande at the last minute, gushing amniotic fluid?) The movie reminds us that, though the neonate is a citizen, the parents are still here illegally and subject to deportation. When the baby is twenty-one years old, he or she can petition to have his or her parents brought to this country, though he or she may not succeed for one reason or another. (I'm being so politically correct it's making me woozy.)
It's not a bad story from the fictional perspective, and its instructive value makes it worth a watch. -
kosmasp29 September 2009It's really surprising (for me) to read, that Kramers (director/writer) previous efforts as a writer, were Mindhunters and Running Scared (which he also directed). Both movies, that are more in the action genre and wouldn't really leave with the feeling that the guy who made those movies, could/would be able to make a drama, that can be compared to Traffic and Crash.
Even if you don't feel it lives up to those two (which I feel too), it's still a pretty good movie. You have great actors and there is no holding back any punches. At times it gets really political (and how couldn't it go that way), although sometimes you'd wish even more involvement or that he would shed more light into some segments ... but then again, the movie might have felt too long if he did.
As it is, this is a rock solid drama, about migration (immigration) and many other things in the US. -
ma-cortes29 September 2022Wayne Kramer wrote, produced (along with Frank Marshall) and directed "Crossing Over," an ensemble drama about illegal immigration in Los Angeles. The film boasts a very good cast , such as Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Jim Sturgess, Ashley Judd, Cliff Curtis, Alice Eve and Alice Braga. "Crossing Over" was released by The Weinstein Company : Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein as executive producers in 2009. It is a thoughtful and thought-provoking movie with engaging and thorny themes . The film deals with document fraud at the border, the process of seeking political asylum in obtaining the Green Card, the anti-terrorism office and the clash of cultures. Crossing Over is about illegal aliens of many nationalities in the Los Angeles area , concerning a canvas with different roles of various nationalities in Los Angeles struggling to get the necessary documents to stay in the United States and the authorities and individuals dealing with them . Cole Frankel (Ray Liotta) , a corrupt immigration officer, makes a deal with Australian immigrant Claire Shepard (Alice Eva who's in love for Jim Sturgess playing a Jewish though atheist role) : he can have unlimited sex to get the legal documents. Meantime, his wife Denise Frankel (Ashley Judd) attempts to adopt a little girl from Nigeria . While a South Korean teenager Yong Kim, who is about to be naturalized, participates in a robbery . Law enforcer Max Brogan (Harrison Ford) interested in a hapless Mexican (Sonia Braga) takes care of her little son. Brogan has an Iranian colleague, Hamid Baraheri (Cliff Curtis) and Hamid's family disapproves of his sister having sex with a married man. A 15-year-old girl from Bangladesh, presents a paper at school promoting that people should try to understand the 9/11 hijackers.
¨Crossing Over¨ dealing with various unfortunate immigrants struggling to achieve legal status in Los Angeles . The film regards various interesting roles set in the border , document fraud , the asylum and green card process , work-site enforcement , naturalization, the office of counter terrorism and the clash of cultures. Being well and realistically paced by Wayne Kramer by using different stories that are eventually interwoven , utilizing complex narration, steadicam and crane shots .¨Crossing Over¨results to be one of the very few pictures containing attractive portrayals of both legal and illegal immigrants in the United States.
It displays an evocative and moving musical score by Mark Isham . As well as atmospheric cinematography by James Whitaker , shot on location in Los Angeles , Santa Clarita , California . The motion picture was compellingly made by director Wayne Kramer . However , the original cut was 135 minutes long, but despite having the right to final cut , film's producer Harvey Weinstein supposedly threatened him to edit the film down to two hours . Wayne Kramer is a fine filmmaker who immigrated to the United States in 1986 , he often provides heavy emphasis on sexuality and violence and unusual transition shots. Kramer has written and directed decent movies that have won several prizes and nominations , in fact he was nominated for a 2004 Golden Satellite Award and a 2004 Edgar Allan Poe for his screenplay to ¨The Cooler¨, which also received a 2003 Special Mention For Excellence in Filmmaking from the National Board of Review . Wayne followed up "The Cooler" with "Running Scared," a gritty action thriller for New Line Cinema starred by Paul Walker , Vera Farmiga, Chazz Palminteri and Elizabeth Mitchell. "Running Scared" was released in 2006 and has since become a cult favorite among action fans. Most recently, Wayne directed the black comedy ensemble "Pawn Shop Chronicles ,"the film stars Paul Walker, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser. Wayne will next direct the dystopian sci-fi love story "Ecstasia," based on his upcoming novel, with Scott Eastwood attached to star . Kramer's other credits include the original screenplay for "Mindhunters" (2004), directed by Renny Harlin and released by Dimension Films, among others . Rating ¨Crossing over¨ 7.5/10 . Better than average , well worth watching. -
barryweir26 April 2011I am an immigration lawyer, albeit an English one. I started my career dealing with asylum cases, family reunions and illegal immigrants. Over the years I have gone on to act for students, entertainers, high net worth individuals and corporate clients. There is little in this field I have not witnessed, from bigotry, to desperation, to the rich trying to take advantage, from immigration officials acting to corruption in my very own profession.
I have to say that this movie explores the issues surrounding immigration extremely well. Forced removal, failed attempts to cheat the system, the motivations for naturalisation (which, as the movie suggests, are not always for the joy of becoming a new citizen) and the general drive of some people to find a better life for their family. I also used to be engaged to an Iranian so I was quite impressed with the portrayal of the Iranian family. I do not mean honour killings, that is not a common thing in wealthy Iranian families, but what often can be is the concept of how one appears to others in the culture and the effect of negative gossip on the reputation of the senior members of the family.
Also, a lot has been made about the 9/11 "sympathiser" storyline. Indeed, there is one reviewer on here who refers to it as disgusting. How laughable. It is perhaps a shame that audiences, particularly American ones it seems, do not actually listening to the dialog. What the character of Taslima says is that she does not agree what they did but she understood the motivation. The movie then cleverly goes on to show the conclusion jumping nature of some Americans, in this instance the immigration official. At the end of the day Taslima's possible terrorist sympathies are left ambiguous, neither confirmed or disproved, and that is why I think a lot of less intelligent viewers jump to the same conclusion that the fictional official does by filling in the blanks that they desire to see because they do not wish to have a dialog about a difficult subject.
The only disappointing part of the movie for me was the Harrison Ford storyline. I didn't feel that any part of it explored any particular immigration related issue until the penultimate scene and I couldn't understand the motivation behind Ford's character. However, that aside I couldn't fault this picture, either in it's script, it's acting or it's direction. -
CAMKG31 July 2009Promise of opportunities, unlimited opportunities - that is what the judge says at the oath taking ceremony for all naturalized Americans in LA. For someone who is 'from here', it is hard to recognize these opportunities as being anything other than materialistic and economic. But for those who have to 'get here', it is some times a lot more - dignity of being a human being who is a productive member of society and the inherent freedoms and liberties that come with that dignity. In a lot countries, these are just ideas read in books or some times not even that. Whether the laws reflect these ideas or not, their implementation certainly doesn't.
From purely a cinematic point of view, that is detached from the relevance of the subject of this film, Crossing Over is by no means a great film or even a very good one. However, the tremendous relevance of the film's content and the respect that the film gives to its subject matter, make Crossing Over an intriguing and occasionally very moving experience.
Yes, this part of the world is far from perfect - racism, violence, rich-poor divide - you could keep adding to the list depending on which end of the socio-economic spectrum you are analyzing from. But it is also a place that pays you to be honest, hardworking and most importantly ethical. The cream of the cream is here or aspiring to be here. In many ways, the Immigration system is more about how and why you get here as opposed to who gets here. As a rule, the end does not justify the means - good fortune and luck merely proves the exception in very few cases and not the rule.
And yet, some appreciate 'the promise of unlimited opportunities ' more than others. Whichever side of the immigration debate you are on, one would agree that you need people to protect that promise for those who have rightfully earned it. -
vesser20002 August 2009I really don't believe this film helps immigrants in any way!
An Australian woman who becomes a prostitute in order to get her visa?
A Muslim girl who is trying to understand the terrorist point of view? It is like someone telling you that Hitler had his reasons too.
An Asian guy who doesn't like America at all and help a bunch of crazy people robbing a store killing everyone like Terminator.
The Arabian family that kill one of their own because they feel shame of their own relative.
This is crazy, if this represent immigrants like me, then I would prefer no representation at all because these characters seem to have been out from a horror house.
I didn't like the film and I really believe that instead of help immigrants, it will cause more problems to immigrants.
The only real immigrant character I felt empathy was the Mexican woman, she was the only one who really represents immigrants in this country. -
Gordon-117 August 2009This film looks at the experiences of five individuals, who crosses path with an Immigration officer.
"Crossing Over" is more than I expected. It tells so many forgotten stories that are worthy of mention, because of their desire to strive for a better life. This type of film is always in danger of stereotyping or misrepresenting minority groups in a negative way, but in "Crossing Over" there is no such problems as the characters are skilfully presented. I particularly like the imagery of motorway junctions shown several times in this film. It parallels the characters in the film, making decisions to turn one way or another, and the amount of traffic that passes through borders.
It also brings out many points for discussion. What would you sacrifice to become an American citizen? What choices would you make, no matter how hard and painful they are, to make a dream come true? -
This movie, crossing over, is rather complicated. It is a lot like primer, in that you will want to watch it more then once to understand it better. Many people after watching this movie have said "this movie has no point" they are looking for someone to blame. Those people do not grasp the point of this movie.
If you really think about this movie a lot you realize you cannot grant sympathy to any of the individuals or blame any of them either, which is quite realistic. I mean you really understand the people who did wrong yet you don't feel sympathy for anybody in this movie. I mean you don't come out hating Harrison Ford for how he enforces this immigration policy because Harrison Ford questions himself and feels bad about what he is doing.
Then think about the relationship with the girl, she didn't like what she was doing but she was coerced into it so at first you are hating that guy but later on you sort of feel sympathy for him because he said he wants to change and he went to jail to, so you really don't hate him. You cannot place blame on anyone.
Then there is the young Asian boy who ends up shooting up a place in Korea town, you don't feel distaste for him doing this because he was coerced into it and then you don't feel sympathy for him because what he was doing was very clearly wrong.
These people are basically all victims of the system and the system itself needs to change so that these people do not have to do these things and go to these heights to get a green card. Immigrants should not be oppressed as they are in this movie because in the end nobody comes out right.
I really think the movie Crash is much more fun then this movie and I would much rather go see that again then this if you haven't seen crash I recommend seeing that before this. I give this a 6/10. I mean it isn't bad but it is inferior to crash in many ways. -
I have been following Harrison career for 30 years as of next year. USED to be first in the door opening day for his films.
I found it VERY strange this film had no press or publicity when it was released. Nothing.
Was it the subject matter? Maybe.
A topical subject now, especially where I live in California.
THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW.
This film just is NOT good. Harrison did his normal great job with his role, YES ANOTHER COP. 2 D lister's in supporting roles & no one else of note.
1. We have TOO MANY STORIES GOING ON AT ONCE. How many different illegal alien families or people the film is showing us. Some doing good things here, other breaking further laws, etc. 2. That Claire character. Film makers, WHY DID WE NEED ALL THE NUDE SCENES WITH THIS ACTRESS? Claire is dumb, she goes to the correct department to check on her paperwork (NOTE WE GET THE NORMAL WOMAN BEHIND THE COUNTER WHO IS RUDE & NOT HELPFUL) Did the Claire character HAVE A COPY OF HER PAPERWORK SHE KEPT FOR HER RECORDS OR OF HER MONEY ORDER? Nope, but we had to have a scene with her paying off A GUY AT A COPY MAKING COMPANY. So, she knew what making copies was BUT DID NOT KEEP A COPY OF SOMETHING THAT IMPORTANT? Oh, boo hoo, I sure was NOT crying when she was deported. 3. Judd & Liotta were husband & wife. Yet, we see 2 scenes with them together, the first at their home where she starts trying to talk him into adopting the little girl. FILM MAKERS, HE HAD NEVER EVEN MET THE LITTLE GIRL, why was there not a line, like "Come & meet her"? 4. The family getting mad & 1 member killing the sister because she was having an affair with her married boss? Oh please. 5. Harrison's character & all the things he did concerning that 1 illegal alien woman & her kid. Why did his bosses let him do that? Go find the kid & then take him to other family members. THAT IS NOT HIS JOB, that is Child Protective Services. 6. And, of course, the 1 girl after her 9-11 paper at school.
Just, not good.
A big disappointment. -
maximkong23 November 2012It reminds me a lot on Crash, Babel and other similar-theme movies. Regardless, it still stands out as an accomplishment of its own for telling the same theme about immigration in US by bringing different perspectives and touching different buttons along the way. In fact it may have outperformed Crash ( which in my opinion is its over-dramatized counterpart) for being more transparent and somehow more realistic take on the same issue. Performances of some of the cast members were phenomenal. I am particularly impressed by Summer Bishil's performance, which was so powerful that only A-list actresses can pull off the same feat. She is amazing for someone of her age and she has great potential to be a great actress for the next generation.
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I wasn't expecting another Crash from Crossing Over, and I didn't get another Crash. Crossing Over follows a number of people and their troubles with immigration issues. Harrison Fird headlines, with Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd among the supporting cast.
Ford is an ICE officer named Brogan, whose partner (Cliff Curtis), an Arabic guy whose sister (Alice Braga) works at a printing shop that makes fake Green Cards, ID's, and the like. Claire (Alice Eve) is discovered having a couple of these things by Ray Liotta's character, who cons her into having an affair with him. Ashley Judd plays Liotta's wife, who is trying her best to solve an issue involing a Muslim girl supposedly sympathizing with those who caused 9/11. Meanwhile, Jim Sturgess successfully does nothing as a Jewish atheist.
Confused? Don't be. The story is fairly simple to follow. The only fault I have is with Jim Sturgess, who is for the most part unconnected with any of the other characters. The acting is very good, Harrison Ford reminded me of John Hartigan (of Sin City). Cliff Curtis gave a great performance too, I don't understand why he isn't on the A-List yet. Ray Liotta gives a scummy performance, as a total creep. Ashley Judd is good too.
If you're looking for the successor to Crash, Crossing Over isn't it. But if you're up for a pretty good film that discusses an issue that never tires, I'd recommend this. -
This movie makes crash seem like over-dramatized sensationalism. Crossing Over has a powerhouse cast portraying a far more realistic depiction of attitudes and perspectives in contemporary America. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is because towards the end one plot stream takes a Hollywood twist, which while not especially relevant, detracts from the gritty realism of the movie.
A lot of people have trouble with portrayals of perspectives which challenge the psychological defense mechanisms we put in place to allow us to filter reality into something easier for us to live with. If we really look at things for what they are, the world is a very scary place. This is why you will notice that people get disproportionately agitated when you challenge these mental constructs, leading to loud and/or ignorant opinions. <--also well portrayed at times in the film.
I thought about using smaller words for those weak minded loud mouths, but they probably didn't read this far and I've learned, to my dismay, that all I can do is dismiss their stupidity/cowardice anyways.
If you can see past what mass media shoves down your throat, you will thoroughly appreciate this movie, I guarantee it :) -
capozzijohn28 June 2009Unlike my fellow Canadian Msr. Bergerac, I saw this film through a different filter.
Where he saw patriotic propaganda, I saw a not-so-subtle indictment on the entire immigration process in the U.S. Yes, there was patriotism there, but some of that is to be expected...the entire concept of a nation requires some degree of that, or you don't have a nation, you have a gathering of disparate tribes. If you can't subscribe to at least *some* of that philosophy as an immigrant, you're in for a rough ride, and so is your host country.
It did paint the Immigration system (correctly) as an unfair system, corrupt like all bureaucracies, and with the power to destroy lives at a whim (the FBI handling of the Pakistani girl), and an ultimately heartless process, told from several different perspectives.
Having been through the entire naturalization process myself post 9-11 (from a admittedly advantageous position of being born Canadian) I thought it was a fairly accurate if (necessarily) dramatic presentation of the system.
It was well acted, well directed, and told a series of compelling stories.
People, thousands upon thousands, do go to the U.S. every year, seeking a better life. Some find it, some don't, but one can't argue that being in someplace like the U.S. (or Canada, or Denmark, or France, or...) is often a very clear way to provide an improvement in the quality of life for yourself and your family. -
beregic11 June 2009first things first; to me it seems that this movie only attempts to cash in on the success that "crash" has had 2-3 years back.
on the surface the feature has some good performances(the boring professional sort if you ask me) and 1 good scene( Cliff Curtis -the supermarket) but everything else is a cliché, and of the worst kind; trying hard to please the American viewer as in how he would LIKE to FEEL(in general) but not how the reality IS; this aspect would be OK but as part in the "fiction" category, and not as advertised - "realistic" drama"...
the dialogs come out straight from the government public relations department. the subliminal patriotic message is promoted in almost EVERY scene in a direct or indirect manner. some tear-jerking scenes for effect and "compassion" but which in a very offensive manner promote exactly the OPPOSITE in how the viewer should asses the reality...
also what really upsets me is how LITTLE the screenwriters actually do NOT know about immigrants.for starters there is an ABSURD out-of-date interpretations as in why people come to America this days. the immigrants are seen as "sheeps" and the "true" Americans as very sensible people even when in the wrong.
in a sentence - this plot attempts to influence the American public that they have it much much better then the rest of the world and keep them content.
to be frank, i would have preferred to watch "crash" all over again instead of this. at least that director has lived WITH immigrants for so long and he did have some things to point out unlike this brainwashing parody of a "drama". -
Ramascreen8 March 2009CROSSING OVER is probably one of the most powerful, heart wrenching immigrant stories out there. Some have accused this of taking the concept of Crash and just injecting it with immigrant issues. Be that as it may, even the concept of Crash wasn't completely all that original but both movies are well-crafted and well-executed. The interconnected characters and plots will leave you to ask questions about the meaning of liberty and what America used to stand for.
The movie depends on its all stellar cast led by Harrison Ford in his most unusual role ever, none of his typical saving-his-family from terrorists, in fact, his character in CROSSING OVER is a loner who wonders whether his job as ICE agent is the right thing to do, he's haunted by the implications and the impact of what he does for a living on those who just want to come here for a better life and angered by those who take advantage of the freedom bestowed upon them. After 9/11 happened, the rules of the game have changed and Ford, in a way, is like that aching voice bugging us to rethink whether enforcing homeland security at the expense of a few good immigrants can be justified.
All the rest of the supporting actors are outstanding in their performances, Jim Sturgess plays a guy who sticks to his principles to get a green card while his girlfriend is willing to sell her body for it. Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd play a married couple and yet they're on two different teams, one takes advantage of the newcomers while the other tries to save them. But the most controversial is probably the issue of freedom of speech presented by writer/director Wayne Kramer in this movie. Once again, it's the question of homeland security at the expense of freedom can be justified or not, it's a bit of a criticism against Patriot Act. But isn't freedom of speech comes with limits? Because if it's without boundaries, then anarchy and division are what would happen.
Wayne Kramer does a good job in making sure not only each plot would flow well with each other as they overlap within a decent running time but he also tackles only the most imperative complexities without wasting time in taking unnecessary shots or moments. I love the story because it punishes those who take freedom for granted and rewards those who cherish it. In the case of that schoolgirl, played by Summer Bishil, it's still arguable.. is she an example of someone who abuses freedom of speech or is she a victim of persecution?
I wasn't a big fan of Wayne Kramer's previous works which include Running Scared and Mindhunters, but CROSSING OVER is a whole nother result, he finally understands what he needs to do to come up with a good story, not simply trying to confuse or depress you. One last note, actor Cliff Curtis gives an Oscar worthy performance as Harrison Ford's partner in this movie, too bad Curtis will be overlooked and this movie will remain as one of this year's under-appreciated. Has America forgotten that it was once a land of immigrants?
--Rama's SCREEN-- -
wellthatswhatithinkanyway11 January 2010STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
The first thing that caught my eye about Crossing Over is the name of the director and writer, Wayne Kramer, the man behind the outrageously violent, over the top action thriller Running Scared. I can't remember if I found that out before or after I saw the film, but this time Kramer has adopted a slightly more balanced, level headed approach in this series of inter-woven tales revolving around America and the issue of immigration for those trying to get in and those trying to control it. It's also sort of an exploration of human nature, between those who are caring and empathetic to those in desperate circumstances, such as Harrison Ford's immigration officer and those who exploit them, such as sleazy Green Card Approval Officer Ray Liotta.
The director's crazy, frenetic style has not completely gone away, and this sort of multi character plot line might not have been the best outlet for his approach to film, but this does not emerge as a failure. You do emerge genuinely caring about the characters and the outcome of their stories. Kramer has crafted an ambitious and brave film that serves some decent food for thought. *** -
Buddy-514 January 2010Here we go again - yet another of those multi-storied social dramas set in the racial and cultural crazy-quilt that is modern-day Los Angeles. Falling somewhere on the quality scale between the profound "Grand Canyon" on the one end and the dreadful "Crash" on the other, "Crossing Over" relates a half dozen or so interlocking tales centered around the issue of immigration.
Harrison Ford is a compassionate INS agent who goes beyond the call of duty to help an undocumented single mother and her young son; Ashley Judd is an immigration defense attorney who wants to adopt a young African girl who's already spent 23 months in a detention center, the victim of a mountain of bureaucratic red tape; and Melody Khazae is a Muslim high school student whose seeming sympathy for the jihadist cause may make it impossible for her to remain in the country. And as if to prove that not all targets of immigration policy are ethnic minorities, Alice Eve is a blonde Australian actress who's having a dickens of a time renewing her visitor's visa. Also in the cast is Ray Liotta as an unprincipled, opportunistic adjudications officer who agrees to smooth over the actress's visa-renewal problems if she'll only sleep with him.
Though no one can deny that it starts off with the best of intentions, "Crossing Over" leaves much to be desired both as a human drama and as a social document. In an effort to weave the disparate narrative strands into a coherent whole, writer/director Wayne Kramer has intercut his scenes with endless birds'-eye-views of the city, a technique that does little to enhance the fluidity of the storytelling. And despite the best efforts of a dedicated cast, the movie never inspires us to care about the people or issues it's laying out before us. In fact, "Crossing Over" errs in the opposite direction of the overwrought "Crash" by rarely displaying any genuine passion for its subject, seeming instead to be simply going through the motions to make its points.
Perhaps as a result of the limited screen time allotted to each character, no one individual emerges from the pack to engage our sympathy or interest. The characters feel more like pawns in a polemicist's exercise than fully-rounded people in their own right. And there's a scene involving a convenience store holdup that is every bit as contrived and credibility-defying as anything in "Crash."
But, hey, give "Crossing Over" a little credit. It's the only movie I know of that gives a nod to the Internet Movie Database (known by most of us as IMDb). Surely, it gets some points for that! -
kairingler11 July 2013this movie deals with a very sensitive subject to me,, illegal aliens and border crossings,, I will try and leave personal feelings out of it long enough to give a review.. Harisson ford plays a Border Patrol agent, his job is to stop the flow of illegal aliens crossing the border every single day.. also in the picture we have Ray Liotta and Ashley Judd, both who were very good, as our story progresses we see many different characters throughout the movie,, some get caught trying to cross over the border, and some make it,, Ray Liotta's character a bit shady he makes a deal with one of the pretty girls he busted, in order for her to get a green card,, she has to keep having sex with him. Harisson Ford meanwhile does something i'm sure a real life border patrol offieer wouldn't do,, he hides a family a starts try ing to help them stay in the country till they can get approved for a visa,, there are many pros and cons to this movie,, I liked the movie because it did present how things are dealth with at the Border Crossing,, and all of the bureaucracy that happens,,
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random_avenger30 September 2010In a post 9/11 world the relations of different races and peoples of the world have become tenser despite, or maybe because of, the increasing amount of immigration and globalization. Naturally, the theme has been examined in films as well, for example in Paul Haggis' Oscar-winning Crash (2004) and, say, Richard Linklater's 2006 film adaptation of the non-fiction book Fast Food Nation. Like Haggis' film, Wayne Kramer's Crossing Over aims to present a wide image of the subject, and succeeds easily better than the heavy-handed Crash.
The film features an ensemble cast with numerous characters whose lives intertwine with each other in various ways. The most central characters are arguably Max Brogan (Harrison Ford), a goodhearted immigration agent, and his colleague Hamid Baraheri (Cliff Curtis) who has an immigrant background himself. Other characters include a teenaged Muslim girl Taslima (Summer Bishil) who catches the attention of security officials with her controversial views about Islamic terrorism, a British musician Gavin (Jim Sturgess) pretending to be devoutly Jewish in order to obtain a permission to stay in the US and an aspiring actress Claire (Alice Eve) who gets blackmailed by a corrupt official Cole Frankel (Ray Liotta) regarding her working licenses. One of the most dramatic scenes deals with a South Korean teenager Yong (Justin Chon) who is being pressured into participating in a dangerous robbery by an Asian gang.
As the story lines unwind, it becomes clear that illegal immigration to America is more diverse than it often seems; people from wealthy Western countries can also run into troubles while trying to obtain licenses or to become naturalized citizens. Of the many story lines, my favourite was probably that of Taslima, thanks to the strong performance of Summer Bishil who was also good in Alan Ball's directorial debut feature Towelhead (2007). I also liked Jim Sturgess as the sympathetic Gavin whose interrogation with an elderly Rabbi provides the funniest scene in the movie. However, some characters are left without enough attention, notably the protagonist Max Brogan himself, who remains a pretty uninteresting goody-goody hero throughout. Cole Frankel's change of mind also comes across as a bit too sudden. While it is understandable that it is difficult to squeeze so many characters and story lines into a movie this short, I feel they really should have given at least a big-name actor like Harrison Ford a meatier role to play.
The plot lines stay mostly down to earth, which emphasizes the realism of the characters. The robbery scene is somewhat stretching the credibility, and Taslima's emotional final scenes come dangerously close to overt tearjerking, but for the most part the stories feel real. It is also good to see that the movie doesn't force a happy ending for every story and contents itself with trying to understand how things have come to that point. The visual style looks nice too; I liked the yellow hues of many interior scenes and the geometrical establishing shots of the streets of Los Angeles from bird's-eye view. In any case, whilst the film is not flawless in my opinion, I enjoyed it alright and think it is worth a watch to those who find the subject interesting – I guess it can be called either uneven or diverse, depending on one's personal tastes.