Rent Crossing Over on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Wayne Kramer
Directed by: Wayne Kramer
Starring: Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta, Jim Sturgess, Cliff Curtis, Alice Braga, Alice Eve, Lizzy Caplan, Mahershala Ali, Sarah Shahi, Josh Gad
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
This explores illegal aliens in the Los Angeles area through various characters as we see the authorities and individuals on both sides.
Verdict
It's a movie with a message, and it's not bad but this feels too scripted. The characters exist to make a point, where this movie should make a point through the characters. You never empathize with these characters because you see exactly what this movie is doing from the start. There's no subtlety to the story at all.
Skip it.
Review
We're introduced to an ensemble cast of officials and immigrants. Throughout the movie their stories begin to intertwine, but it never feels organic. It feels scripted to make a point that's not even close to being subtle.
Max Brogan (Harrison Ford) is a cop with a heart of gold that wants to help the immigrants he's arresting. Cole Frankel (Ray Liotta) is an official that takes advantage of the system and thus a hopeful artist Claire (Alice Eve) hoping to get residency.
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| Harrison Ford, Cliff Curtis play Max Brogan, Hamid Baraheri |
Immigrants skirt laws for a better life but are often taken advantage of in the process. Immigration officials can use their power to coerce and skirt boundaries because the people they're helping are desperate. It's pointed just how callous the immigration office treats some people, but this draws the lines between indifference, compassion, and care.
Max's partner Hamish (Cliff Curtis) deals with a tragedy and crime that Max investigates. Of course the good cop is also the only one that can solve this crime. That story connects to Cole and his wife Denise (Ashley Judd). She also works in a career related to immigration.
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| Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd play Cole Frankel, Denise Frankel |
It's a pointed tale, but that doesn't make it bad. The point being made certainly has merit. I just want this to focus more on the characters and letting the story build on them. This uses a story to force characters into situations. The interconnections and serendipity of these character isn't quite believable, but it's really that this movie just shows us specific people that will later interact.
This plays up the drama between Cole and Claire. You expect the guy taking advantage of a woman and situation to be vindictive, but this plays with your expectations. It's just another instance of the movie trying to manipulate.
There's various plots in this, and no one comes out well regardless of which side of the law they're on. It's a broken system, and the movie makes that point clearly. I just wish the movie tried to make a compelling story first and a point second.
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