Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Crossing Over (2009) Didn't Know what to Expect



   When I saw a preview for this movie, it looked pretty decent.  One day while I was over at our local Blockbuster I decided to go ahead and check it out.

   To my surprise, it was actually a pretty decent movie even though it stars Ray Liota and Ashley Judd which are very hit and miss with me.

   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.

Rating...
7/10

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