Crossing over (released in 2009) - Starring Harrison Ford and Ray Liotta

"Crossing Over" is directed by Wayne Kramer who also writes the screen play and depicts the plight of immigrants who want to make USA their home. It deals with The film deals with the border, document fraud, the asylum and green card process, work-site enforcement, naturalization, the office of counter-terrorism and the clash of cultures. It stars Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta and many others in significant roles.
This drama film has a bunch of characters who goes through the rigors of immigration and their intertwining lives forms the basis of the screenplay. Officer Max Brogan is a tender hearted officer who goes beyond the call of duty to deliver the son of Mireya Sanchez who has been deported to Mexico. But he finds out that she has been killed at the border crossing and has the heart breaking task of delivering this news as well. Brogan's colleague Hamid Baraheri is an Iranian immigrant whose family has a tough time adjusting to the American life. His father and brother kill their sister for going out with her boyfriend and are arrested for this honor killing. Hamid knows the law and is torn between duty and family.



Kim Soon Yong, an south Korean unwittingly becomes a part of the robbery attempt which is intercepted by Hamid who shoots all perpetrators. Hamid spares Yong and lets him off with a warning and lies his superiors about the number of people to prevent a criminal record on Yong's name. Yong is able to get his green card because of Hamid's mercy.
Cole Frankel, a corrupt immigration official makes a deal with Claire Sheppard, and Australian for sexual favors in exchange of a green card. He falls in love with her and waives the mandatory two month waiting period to get a green card. But Sheppard does not love him and declines his offer. But soon the duo is caught and Sheppard is deported and Frankel is convicted of fraud. Denise Frankel adopts a Nigerian baby languishing in the detention center in a parallel story line.
Gavin Kosseff pretends to be a religious Jew to get admission to the Jewish school which will enable him to stay in US. He is caught by the Rabbi during the test, but the sympathetic Rabi passes him and ask him rectifies his deficiencies.
But Taslima Jahangir is not so lucky. She presents a school paper about 9/11 hijacking and her sympathetic tone makes the school see red. They notify the authorities and soon it is found that Taslima and her parents are illegal immigrants. Her sisters are deemed Americans as they are born there and she is deported with their mother to Bangladesh even though she had left the country when she was three. She is not allowed to see her father as she leaves USA.
The premise of the movie is the plight of the immigrant, but the movie fails to live up to the promise. The film does not have a continuous story line and has a feel of a documentary. It was a critical and box office failure on its release. A very forgettable movie.