Review of Crossing Over (2009) by Kamel J — 07 Jul 2009

This film stars Harrison Ford as an ICE agent. He is towards the end of his career and he is having trouble with the realities he faces in his job. Ray Liotta plays a bureaucrat in the department of immigration. Ashley Judd plays his wife, an immigration lawyer. These three starts lead a large ensemble cast of relative unknowns.

Wayne Kramer writes and directs this film. He is best known for "The Cooler" where William H. Macey played a man who casinos used to jinx gamblers off their hot streaks.

This movie is very similar to "Crash" in that it starts out with many different threads at the beginning which are woven into a tapestry by the end. This film is not as effective in it's execution, however. We don't get to build as strong a bond with most of the characters as we did in "Crash".

The film goes out of its way to try to elicit sympathy for its characters. Am I really supposed to feel sorry for an Australian actress in the country illegally who turns to questionable means to stay in the country to further her career? God forbid she gets deported to Australia. The hell that must be. It's difficult to feel sorry for many of these characters. They knew the immigration rules, knew they were breaking them, and therefore took their chances.

There are some characters that my be fleeing dangerous circumstances back in their home country but this is never substantiated. What this film does is make me think of how lucky I am to have been born in this country. The nightmare wouldn't be getting deported home but rather not being allowed to come back home.

This film is worth watching to see Ford act against type a bit. Liotta & Judd are good as well, even though Judd in particular doesn't get much screen time. Some of the new actors are also very good and it will be interesting to see if this film becomes a springboard for their careers.