7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Thoughtful drama weaves together several stories as it examines immigration in Los Angeles, providing a harrowing look at border crossing, document fraud, asylum seekers, naturalization, counterterrorism and the clash of cultures in America.
Starring: Harrison Ford, Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd, Jim Sturgess, Cliff CurtisDrama | 100% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Before the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster replaced it as the headline du jour, the extremely controversial immigration
law passed by the state of Arizona was burning up the airwaves. Was it an un-American attempt to “profile” people
based on their appearance, in this case probably Hispanic? Or was it a justified attempt to ameliorate an influx of illegals,
some of whom at least had committed horrific crimes throughout the state, making people afraid to leave the shelter of
their homes?
Immigration has been a hot button issue for the past several United States administrations. In fact 2008 Republican
Presidential candidate John McCain had his own John Kerry “I voted for it before I voted against it” moment during
his unsuccessful campaign when he was forced to amend his own efforts to revamp immigration laws, as they
evidently weren’t hard line enough for conservatives in his own party. As any American can tell you, our federal
government at least seems remarkably well constructed to get nothing done, and that has been its calling card for the
past decade plus in terms of the immigration debate, despite the faltering attempt to build a border wall between our
southern states and Mexico. One would think this important issue would be ripe for a film treatment, but Crossing
Over, despite several high profile stars and the producing imprimatur of the Weinsteins, found itself consigned to an
extremely limited theatrical release and is now appearing relatively uncelebrated on home video.
Harrison Ford wants just the facts, ma'am.
Crossing Over looks very good to excellent on Blu-ray, with an appealingly natural film appearance delivered via the VC-1 codec in full 1080p and an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. This isn't a "showy" film by an means, nor is it as intentionally gritty and post-processed as Traffic, for example. Instead we get a certain lo-fi ethos here which the Blu-ray very ably recreates. Grain is apparent, though never is it overwhelming, and colors and detail are always good, and often superb, especially in close-ups, where every wrinkle in Ford's gracefully aging and weathered face is fully on display. Colors are accurate looking, but the film opts for a subdued if not completely blanched palette, so there's little here that is going scream "wow" for videophiles. This is a solid looking transfer that won't disappoint but which won't excite, either.
Crossing Over springs to life sonically in a couple of loud and busy action sequences, when the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix
finally gets a workout. Otherwise, we are offered a lot of dialogue, all of which is reproduced excellently, with good
channel separation and a fine ear for directionality. There is actually a decent amount of ambient soundfield here,
especially in the cityscape exteriors, where everything from natural sounds to traffic noise (featured in several aerial
interstitials over area freeways) spills into the surrounds. The action scenes pump things up considerably, with gunshots
zinging in from various directions, and some thundering LFE. But Crossing Over at its heart is a small-scale drama
with not that much opportunity to exploit a high definition sound mix. Like the image quality, this soundtrack does its job
very well, but aside from one or two sonically impressive sequences, there's not a lot here that is going to set audiophiles'
ears on fire.
Note: Some members are reporting that there may be two releases with different audio options. We encourage
these
members to post their own user reviews for this title.
No supplements are offered.
Crossing Over has its heart in the right place, there's no question. Unfortunately, screenwriter Kramer loads the film with too many problems for its own good, until the viewer feels weighed down by the omnipresent foreboding. Several of the individual elements of this film are quite impressive, and some judicious cutting would have helped things considerably. As it stands, Crossing Over is too insistent on making its perhaps valid points. The performances are the best thing here, and certainly are worth checking out on an evening's rental, if you're in the mood for a somewhat dour and depressing experience.
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