Crossing Point (2016) User Reviews

Girlfriend kidnapped and promoted to drugs courier. That's what I call a screwed up vacation.

[peterp-450-298716 · 6/10 · 16 August 2016]

"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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A middle action movie with good action scenes: Watchable

[Romulus1953 · 6/10 · 4 May 2016]

Daniel Zirilli pack a mid-level action movies; the best of the cast is Jacob Vargas but also Shawn Lock is a good performance as lead star; Tom Sizemore instead appears in only three scenes but it's okay, Luke Goss instead only makes a cameo.Also the rest cast is good and Ryan Youngblood is the film antagonist, but Maria Gabriela De Farià have the sleazy role of the film. Here action there get enough and when it comes to this kind of film is already a lot since the film is based on this, given that the plot is not original enough...Good action scenes for a middle action movie but in its genre still watchable...Curiosity: the film was shot in Mexico.

Ask for Pedro

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 21 February 2018]

Michael (Shawn Lock ) vacations and surfs in Mexico with his irresistible Mexican girlfriend Olivia (María Gabriela de Faría). Olivia is kidnapped and Michael is to smuggle 5 kilos of cocaine across the border or else she dies....inspired by true events.

The twist is suspected from the onset and revealed at the midway point. The trip is not easy for Michael, or else they wouldn't make the film. Tom Sizemore has a small role as a bad guy while Luke Goss has an even smaller role as a good guy. The first 18 minutes the film flips between the present and past. Generic formula film.

Guide: F-word, brief sex, stripper nudity.

Mediocre results

[Wizard-8 · 5/10 · 7 July 2018]

Although the basic plot of "Crossing Point" - an innocent person forced into committing a crime after his loved one is kidnapped - is nothing original, it is still a good premise that under the right hands could have been a winner. Unfortunately, it doesn't work as well as it should this time around. The movie does have some definite strengths, I admit. It doesn't make the worst sin a movie can make by being boring. Also, it's shot in a loose and gritty manner that really makes you feel the seedy and impoverished side of Mexico. However, the direction is at times confusing, particularly in the first third of the movie. There are scenes that seem to be missing, action sequences that are hard to follow, and often at times the very low budget of the entire enterprise is painfully evident. Also, the screenplay has characters that are not very well developed, so much so that it's hard at times to sympathize or hate them. There is a twist midway through the plot, but it's a twist that you'll probably be able to guess long before it happens. I realize I may be portraying this movie as much worse than it is, so let me emphasize that this is not the worst telling of this formula I have seen. But at the same time, you could do much better.

Crossing Point-Solid indie pic

[rulesofthegame-35150 · 12 May 2016]

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!

It makes a valiant attempt to be a good and worthwhile movie, which is rarer than you might think these days.

[tarbosh22000 · 5/10 · 5 October 2020]

When Michael (Lock), his girlfriend Olivia (de Faria), and their two friends travel to Mexico for a little vacation, little do they know what they've stumbled into. Olivia gets kidnapped by some drug-dealing baddies, who force Michael to cross the border with a backpack full of said drugs, or else they say they'll kill Olivia.

Desperate and running out of time, Michael stumbles into Pedro (Sizemore), a man he thinks he can turn to for help. But who can he really trust? Meanwhile, hardworking cop Jesus Valencia (Vargas) is on the case, which leads to the entrance of Decker (Goss), an expert in these sorts of tense situations. Will Michael accomplish his mission and save Olivia? Or will something prevent him from reaching the CROSSING POINT?

As far as modern-day DTV actioners are concerned, Crossing Point isn't that bad. It's better than you probably think it is. It appears some energy and thought went into the production, and it's not mindlessly stupid like so many of its competitors. So we give it kudos for that. What the Sicario series is to mainstream cinemas, Crossing Point is to DTV. Keeping their budget constraints in mind, what they managed to pull together here deserves some credit.



It's still hard for us to see characters in these new movies constantly on their cell phones and drinking from plastic water bottles. You may have noticed that tough guys in the films of yore don't do these things. Of course, there's the tattooed stoner character with a man bun. He's the "Shaggy" of the piece. He seems like he should be shirtlessly playing the bongos with Matthew McConaughey. As for our hero, he's another effeminate millennial. He attempts to get less effeminate as the movie goes on, but it really seems like, in a prior age, he would have been on the cover of Tiger Beat magazine along with JTT and Andrew Keegan. Perhaps interestingly, Keegan was in April Rain (2014) with Luke Goss.







Speaking of Goss, he doesn't show up until the 70-minute mark and it's a cameo, despite being front and center on the box art. All the Goss fans out there may be disappointed by this so consider it a warning. As for Sizemore, he really livens up the scenes he's in and the movie as a whole. Again, it's more or less a glorified cameo, but he gets more screen time than Goss. We still have to wait 40 minutes to see him. It's more or less worth the wait, however. In Assassin's Game (2015), his name is El Viejo. In Crossing Point it's Pedro. Are people casting Tom Sizemore as some sort of Hispanic man now? When did this start? And why did it start?



Anyway, it should also be noted that there is a 24-esque timer that periodically pops up on screen to let us know how Michael is doing time-wise. Well, that aside, Crossing Point as a whole is at least trying, which is a good thing, of course. It's also relevant as far as what's in the news today with the border, etc.



In the end, Crossing Point is at least a one-time watch. It makes a valiant attempt to be a good and worthwhile movie, which is rarer than you might think these days.

It's OK - but not accurately marketed

[lancesteinberg · 7/10 · 19 May 2016]

It's decent, but has a hard time making up it's mind...

There's some intense ACTION but not all that much. It's light and fluffy at times and the suddenly way DARK. Slightly ROMANTIC now and then. Some folks may be into this all-over-the-place roller-coaster but I mostly came for heavy action - so it didn't really satisfy me. With that being said - for the most part it's well shot and directed. the performances of the this B-cast are quite good. Even smaller parts come off believable. Which it would've been presented more accurate. They're really trying to sell this as an action packed film and it's not. All by all 7/10.

Decent, stands out in it's genre

[sandyhenderson-82320 · 7/10 · 27 May 2016]

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

Worth watching

[sissy3006-179-640454 · 8/10 · 22 September 2019]

Good cast, some twist and turns. Sizemore is his usual dirtbag bad guy. Disappointed that Goss didn't have a bigger part. Over all good .

Cool, not your typical low budget flick!

[benjansens · 10/10 · 15 May 2016]

Felt like I had to watch cause a friend is in it and wanted to support. Cheesy poster got me worried. Well, believe it or not this film is actually quite cool.

It starts out somewhat generic but then takes off. And becomes a hell of a ride. Good acting. Fast moving story telling. Great sound and music. Love the dirty look of the Mexico stuff. The good cop is awesome, great to see him in his element, I remember him from one of my alltime favorites... good old "Traffic".

Not the masterpiece I'd see again but it's good entertainment and worth the one-time rental if you ask me. And since I'm proud of my friend who's in it I'm giving it the "excellent-rating" bump here on IMDb.

A very pleasant surprise!!

[markushunter · 10/10 · 10 May 2016]

Saw it for Luke and was about to loose it when I figured out that he's more like a cameo in this... But the story subject and compelling action scenes got me wanting to keep watching. Crossing Point is Well directed for the most part and looks cool. Not to forget, the girls are hot!

Recognized the lead girl from Netflix' "Narcos" who's just great. And Sizemore is cast well and delivers another classic supporting performance. The Rest of the actors are interesting and believable too. It's got some nudity but didn't feel vulgar or cheap.

It's got a couple flaws for sure but this is one of the best B-movies I've seen in a long time!!

Much better than I expected

[warrdog · 8/10 · 21 September 2016]

I've never left a review before but I just finished watching it and wanted to say that this was much, MUCH better than I expected and deserves a far better rating than 5 just stars. The acting was very good, especially Shawn Lock, I think he's going to be getting much more well known in the future.

I thought the movie really captured the feeling of Mexico, both the tourist side and the underside with well written fast-paced story that never leaves you getting bored like most 'action' movies. Even though the film had a smaller budget it doesn't give you that cheesy feeling that you usually get from smaller budget movies.

All in all I highly recommend it, especially to watch with the girlfriend that enjoys action movies but can do without the obviously fake gore that most movie makers these days seem to try and use to cover up all the other flaws.

Solid story, great characters, authentic and entertaining!

[thefilmgal · 8/10 · 10 May 2016]

Warning, I went into this with no expectations. But ended up wildly entertained.

Some of the performances are better than others, the lead girl is pretty but that's about it, Luke's a small part and if you are a fan don't bather watching for him, Rudy Youngblood (who plays the villain) tries hard but fails to be terrifying, while Paulina Gaitan plays an excellent supporting role and Jacob Vargas is great too, while Shawn Lock wherever he came from gives a solid performance as the lead.

Overall found it to be heartfelt and genuine.

It's got a few very unexpected twists and turns. Some great cinematography. Very authentic locations... If you like indie movies with a good mix of action, adventure and suspense I highly recommend "Crossing Point".

What a surprising gem!

[beelliss88 · 9/10 · 22 August 2016]

Having been to TJ before, I have only the greatest respect for the feel of the lonely lost feeling of being afraid and alone in a foreign country with no right forward of what to do! I was there in 1990 and experienced a medical situation with no idea what was to come! This flick had the perfect full on gritty feel to it, and the scared feeling of what was around the corner at every turn! The lighting was perfect to set the mood and the chaos was spot on! If anyone ever gets lost in TJ then good luck! Those memories are prevalent as I watched this! Not a bad flick! I would recommend this for sure! The real feel is there and the real fear is there! Imagine if it was you!

Hip, edgy drug border double-cross

[transoptical · 10/10 · 2 June 2016]

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.

Pleasantly Surprised

[bartpaschke · 9/10 · 29 March 2022]

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.