Relatively new Director and writer Wayne Kramer originally created this work back in 1996 with no real success. With the rising concerns of illegal immigration on the forefront of the minds of most American, he remade this film utilizing some of Hollywood’s biggest and most talented actors and actresses. Harrison Ford stars and along with Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd and Jim Sturgess to give a thought provoking look into the world of which most of us don’t see or turn a blind eye toward.
This film is multifaceted with the diversity of both culture and walks of life that make up the population of one of our most populous cities in the country, Los Angeles. Often, the best story lines come from the pages of real life and the struggles that consume our focus and thoughts, thus making “Crossing Over” a poignant piece for our time. Harrison Ford plays Max Brogan, a special agent for ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. During one raid on an employer of illegal immigrants, he comes across a woman who pleads for his help to help her with her young son. Meanwhile, Ashley Judd’s character, Denise Frankel, is an Immigration Defense Attorney working to help families with complex problems to continue their lives that they have struggled to make here in the US. Her husband Cole, played by Ray Liotta, however works opposite Denise as he works in the Immigration department as an officer whom approves or denies green cards to applicants. Jim Strugess is an immigrant musician Gavin Kossef whose visa has expired and is looking for a way to bend the rules of the system to stay in the country. With each of these characters come their own story and challenges and adversity that come with their plight. Also there are a few other story lines that all intertwine with the same common thread and some of the stories overlap and connect.
This film breeches the hot topic of immigration and shows both sides to this growing problem and its harsh realities. First main point the movie addresses is the stereotype that all immigrants are of Hispanic backgrounds, but to the contrary, it spans multiple ethnicities. Aside from the race issue, it shows that despite the boundaries that have been drawn, that we are all humans and should be treated with dignity and respect. There is a tragedy spanning our nation as families are ripped apart due to red tape just to save our sense of safety. Truth being told, a few bad apples have contaminated our thoughts of what immigrants have achieved in this country. If we all look back, our heritage is descended from immigrants that persevered to give us the life we have today. That is all these families hope to achieve in our great land. Well my personal opinion aside, this is a great film and looked at objectively can open eyes of people, but there are those who are steadfast in their beliefs, and won’t consider giving this film a chance
Reviewed by Michael Albaugh
