Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- serious
- morally conflicted
- political drama night
- social issue cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the ambitious ensemble immigration drama heavy-handed, implausible, and insufficiently nuanced in its treatment of a complex subject.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film follows immigrants and officials of different nationalities through connected struggles involving status, enforcement, and naturalization.
The asylum, green card, document fraud, work-site enforcement, and naturalization processes directly shape the characters' lives.
The plot foregrounds clashes of culture alongside immigration enforcement and counterterrorism concerns in Los Angeles.
Criminal investigation, murder investigation, counterterrorism work, and personal misconduct coexist within the enforcement apparatus.
Films like Crossing Over, and why
Babel
multi-character immigration drama centered on legal status, institutional pressure, and cultural conflict
Traffic
ensemble social drama examining immigration, identity, and unequal systems through intersecting characters
Crash
serious Los Angeles crime drama involving law enforcement, moral compromise, and multiple intersecting storylines
Movie Details
- Director
- Wayne Kramer
- Release Date
- 2009-02-10
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (421)
Cast
- Harrison Ford
- Ray Liotta
- Alice Eve
- Ashley Judd
- Jim Sturgess
- Cliff Curtis
- Alice Braga
- Summer Bishil
- Jacqueline Obradors
- Justin Chon
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Crossing Over about?
- In Los Angeles, immigrants, investigators, and officials collide as legal status, cultural identity, and personal ethics become inseparable.
- What is Crossing Over like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Crossing Over as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Crossing Over violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Crossing Over as moderate.
- What did critics think of Crossing Over?
- Critics broadly found the ambitious ensemble immigration drama heavy-handed, implausible, and insufficiently nuanced in its treatment of a complex subject.
- Which films are like Crossing Over?
- Films with a similar feel include Babel, Traffic, and Crash.
- How long is Crossing Over?
- Crossing Over runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Crossing Over?
- In United States, Crossing Over streams on Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel.
