Crossing Over (2009)

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:

Naturalization | Green Card | Fraud | Cityscape | Writer Director

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:

113 min | USA:140 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

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 | Ireland:18 (video rating)

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:

Plot holes: After the shootout at the convenient store, there is an argument about whether or not there were 5 shooters or 4 shooters. The owner's wife said there were 5 shooters and the 5th shooter took the security tapes and ran off. Then the other woman in the store falsely confirmed that there were only 4 shooters. If that was the case, then all 4 shooters were dead and the security tapes would not be missing.

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:

Featured in "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Echelon Conspiracy/Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li/Crossing Over (#1.1)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Mistake the Enemy

I'm not on the fence: the critics are idiots

Apart 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.