Crossing Point

I didn't know what to expect from this movie, but I thought it was great! The writing, the storyline, the cinematography and the acting were all top-notch. Shawn Lock did a great job as the lead actor and also as a writer. He seems to have disappeared after this, which is too bad. Highly recommended.

I knew from the first scene that this was going to be worth watching. The cinematography was first class, tasty contrast and saturation, good lens selection. The opening required a bit of deciphering, but once in gear this puppy had me by the yarbles. The story line is somewhat boilerplate even if it is based on actual events, but the realization- art direction and direction were smart and poignant with 2 parallel plot lines. The street scenes, the panorama of Mexican border urban aesthetics, the grittiness, the twists, the humanity; all made for an immersive, reality-based bit of cinema. The Pedro character was worth the price of admission. I'm looking for more movies from this director/writer.

Crossing Point has a decent narrative though much of it has a "heard-it-before" feel to it. It does manage to add enough of a spin to make some of it fresh and entertaining. Especially within its saturated genre.

Much of "Crossing Point" like cinematography, music, performances, ... at times I actually found to transcend it's overall cheap-action classification. Many elements of this film have potential but the finished product is flawed. With that being said, I'd pick to see this again anytime over some of the redundant super hero junk that the major studios are pumping out these days.

All in all, it was enjoyable and didn't find it to be a waste of time watching this. And that means a lot today. So, 7/10

"Crossing Point" is that kind of action thriller you could hire with the dozen at the local video store in former times. It isn't very original and certainly it's not a groundbreaking film. Actually, you can safely put it under the category "Haven't we seen it before?". It certainly can't compete with, lets say "Sicario", which also takes place under the blazing Mexican sun. And yet it wasn't such a bad movie afterall. It's not just brainless action the whole time. It's more about the nerve-racking race of Michael (Shawn Lock) as he seeks his way to the Mexican border. Expect the known ingredients you'd typically encounter in such a Mexican drug story. First there's this Mexican beauty. Also there are some ugly and ruthless members of a drug gang. And finally a helpful local gang.

The basic story actually isn't so special. Michael and Olivia (Maria Gabriela de Faria) are enjoying a relaxing holiday in Tijuana along with two friends. They spend their time surfing and partying. Until Olivia suddenly disappears from the hotel and Michael ends up with four wrapped packets of cocaine. He must get those across the border within 12 hours or else he won't see his girlfriend back alive. What follows is a race against the clock including a confrontation with a local gang and invoking the help of a local criminal called Pedro (Tom Sizemore). And on top of that, there's this resolute police inspector Jesus (Jacob Vargas) who's determined to solve a case about missing young tourists.

You see. Nothing new and even the twist in the end isn't really surprising. But still this low-budget indie movie managed to captivate me. In addition, Shawn Lock played a convincing part as the desperate friend. Although the transformation from the attractive, cool, surfing friend into an extremely skillful defensive action figure (who could handle a handgun without blinking an eye), was a bit exaggerated. The least convincing roles were those of Gabriela de Faria, she just showed up to exhibit her irresistible beauty (with a steamy shower scene as a bonus, although it was strategically filmed) and the two surfer friends who completed the gang. Luckily the contributions of those two was fairly limited, because this wasn't exactly a paragon of good acting. Rudy Youngblood was terrifying as the mastermind Mateo, although it sometimes felt as forced acting. And this time I thought it was a shame that Tom Sizemore had a limited contribution and briefly acted as the local criminal. Compared with "Weaponized", his role here was acceptable. But the one who looked the most charismatic and convincing, was Jacob Vargas.

Altogether a not too bad action movie. Despite the limited budget, they've succeeded to create a mix of professional-looking footage, matching music and not so bad interacting protagonists. The action is not excessive but the pace is stunningly high. After seeing some crime films taking place in these parts of the U.S., I'm going to skip Mexico as a holiday destination for sure.

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I thought this movie was well crafted for an indie pic. I think they got quite a few good shots and multi-angle shots. Many more angles than you normally see in indie films. Plus they got a lot of good drone shots. I think the story line was pretty cool. It had some unexpected twist and turns that I thought where creative and outside the box. Rudy Youngblood was SIC. Great actor. I thought the acting was pretty solid from the leads down to the extras. Shawn Lock did a good job for her first film. Burton Perez is a good actor too, I thought his dialogue with Shawn Lock regarding carrying dope in Mexico was well crafted, well shot and poignant . The score was also pretty good for an indie film. All in all, at the end of the day, a good body of work and I think their next film will be quite good!