As a fan of James Patterson's novels involving Alex Cross I
was anxious to see how the new version held up. Both pervious films starring
Morgan Freeman were good but his depiction of Cross was far from what the books
involved, most noticeably his age. When I heard Tyler Perry was chosen for the
role my only hope was that he wouldn't do it in drag. So does the new version
hold up? Quite well actually.
The film opens with Cross and his partners chasing a
criminal through the decaying area of Detroit. He is caught and another
criminal is off the streets. Cross goes home to his family, a reprieve from the
mean streets he patrols so well. There he learns that in addition to his two
children and mother that live with him, his wife is expecting another child but
insist he tell no one. Like that's gonna happen.
Cut to a paid assassin named Picasso (Matthew Fox) who is
stalking his next target, a wealthy woman he seduces by fighting mercilessly in
an illegal mixed martial arts ring. Going home with her, she takes him to her
bed only to have him inject her with a paralyzing drug and then torturing her
for information.
Cross is awakened in the early hours of the day and calls in
his partner Thomas (Edward Burns). Since Thomas was with Monica, another
officer, he lets him know getting involved with another police person will just
result in one of them having to leave. The question is left in the air and they
head towards the crime scene. Cross checks out the scene and deduces that the
killer paralyzed the victim and then took out all three of her hired guards.
Looking through the house, they discover a missing laptop but then find a back
up hard drive the victim kept hidden.
Through various clues Cross puts together the identity of
the next victim and he and his team head out to keep him from being murdered. While
at this location they run into Picasso and prevent him from fulfilling his
mission. The only problem is that in getting in his way he sets out to make
sure it doesn't happen again first by torturing and killing Monica and then by
killing Cross' wife.
More determined than ever to make sure his family is safe,
Cross doubles his efforts to find this psycho who not only kills for a living
but enjoys inflicting pain in others. As the clues and body counts begin to add
up, Cross and his partner keep moving closer to that final confrontation with
Picasso.
The suspense in this film is one that builds slowly like the
best of criminal procedural films but a little bit disjointed at times. This
doesn't distract from the story though and its one that not only develops the
characters in the film but holds your interest from start to finish as the
reason for catching the killer moves from professional to personal.
There isn't a bad performance in this film. Standing out is
Perry as Cross. Having seen Perry in constant drag as Medea in his series of
films it was interesting to discover that he's actually a good actor without
hiding behind the petticoat. The slow burn he displays as his motives alter is
well developed and by the end of the film you find yourself anxiously
anticipating the next chapter in the stories of Alex Cross. Fox turns in a hair
raising performance as the psycho killer Picasso making him not only a worthy
adversary but a terrifying one as well.
Though no word is out yet if another film is in the works,
fans can hope that this becomes a series of films rather than a stand alone
production. Perry does indeed get the character right and would be able to
carry the series into long term standing. Let's just hope that this film does
well enough on DVD to insure that it happens. Should it do so fans of
Patterson's Alex Cross will find something to look forward to other than the
latest installment at the book store.
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