Crossing Over (DVD)

This character-driven drama interweaves through the lives of several major characters, each criss-crossing through each other's lives. It's similar in style to the award-winning Crash. But where that film dealt with racism, this one deals with the thorny issue of immigration, a topical subject as almost everyone sees the United States as the land of opportunity, so most third-world inhabitants will usually try their utmost to stay there, even if means thay have to do so illegally.

The main character is Max Brogan, a world-weary immigration agent who thinks he has seen it all, yet soon has to deal with two contentious issues. Ray Liotta plays a slimy immigration office clerk who sees an opportunity to promise a beautiful Australian woman a chance at a green card, provided she can pay him in kind. And Ashley Judd plays his wife, who happens to be an immigration defence attorney, fighting for the rights of the oppressed. There are many other pivotal story arcs as well. Cliff Curtis plays Brogan's partner, but he is also dealing with tough Middle Eastern family loyalty issues. There's another Middle Eastern family who face having their daughter deported after she is seen as a terrorist threat. And an Asian family are just days away from getting their green cards, but their son is getting involved with the local hoodlums.

This review can not do proper justice to this slick, engaging storyline. Needless to say, not everyone is going to get a happy ending. What surprised me the most was just how unpredictable this movie was. Truly eye-opening, with some very good performances, this is definitely a movie worth having in your collection. (4 out of 5, by Carlisle Johnson)

Immigrants from around the world enter Los Angeles every day, with hopeful visions of a better life, but little notion of what that life may cost. Their desperate scenarios test the humanity of immigration enforcement officers.

In Crossing Over, writer-director Wayne Kramer explores the allure of the American dream, and the reality that immigrants find – and create -- in 21st century L.A.

Kramer's intersecting stories, both cathartic and tragic, are brought to life by a first rate cast.

General

Studio:	Weinstein Company
Release date:	November 2009
Movie released:	2009
Actors:	Harrison Ford • Ray Liotta • Ashley Judd
Dimensions:	192 x 137 x 15mm (L x W x T)
Format:
Running time:	1 hour, 48 minutes
Region encoding:	Region 2. This DVD will play in all South African DVD players.
Audio format:	Dolby Digital 5.1
Video format:	Widescreen 2.35:1
Languages:	English
Subtitles:	English
Age restriction:	13 LV
Categories:	DVD > Crime DVD > Drama DVD > Feature Film
LSN:	XQ8-V6H-8KE-1
Barcode:	5017239196409

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Review This Product

Crossing Over

Mon, 4 Nov 2013 | Review by: Micky B

Very much an adult drama, this picture is about illegal immigrants of different nationalities who are struggling to achieve legal status in Los Angeles, It is several independent stories in one; each touching on the U.S border; document fraud and extortion, the asylum and green card process,. Special Agent Max Brogan (a gracefully aging Harrison Ford) is a sympathetic immigration officer, who is bound by the red tape of regulations. However, another officer, Cole Frankel (Ray Liotta) gets himself into hot water by bending the rules when he gets involved with Clare Shephard – an aspiring young actress from Australia – and wants to divorce his wife, Denise (Ashley Judd) in order to be with Clare. This is a violent movie, though it does have human interest with some rather touching moments as well.

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