Morgan Freeman has not made it easy, he has big shoes to fill, having previously brought James Patterson's character Alex Cross to life in the big budget, box office hits Kiss The Girls & Along Came a Spider - so who could we possibly fill these mammoth shoes with? Will Smith? Jamie Foxx? Denzel Washington? Madea?
Huh?
The task at hand, to bring the criminal profiler to life is rests in the hands of none other than Tyler Perry!?! This makes the latest Alex Cross thriller to come to us, somewhat of a novelty - we marvel at the possibility of Tyler Perry moving past how we perceive him and his role in cinema. Undoubtedly he is a force to be reckoned with, not necessarily for the best of reasons, for the unfully realised character of Madea (who could be loved so much more, the ingredients there yet not used to their full potential), for melodrama that has found its place and market on the big screen (but which in the hands of another would be relegated to television)... Tyler Perry is a movie maker, but is he a good actor? Can he perform in a project not his own? Can he breathe new life into a much loved literary and film character, and possibly a franchise?
Before I answer this question, let's take a brief look back at Alex Cross's previous excursions on our screens.
First there was Kiss The Girls - a great thriller except for two important errors...
Firstly Ashley Judd, that's all I can say in this regard, I know we are dealing with an american lineage here, the daughter of the country Judd family, but that does not a great actress make, what the name does secure is roles in great movies, and this has made her watchable over the years, but cringe-worthy all the same.
The Second error of Kiss The Girls (and let's not suffer spoilers here) is a piece of miscasting which ruins the entire plot, and speaks to my pet hate of casting big names in incorrect roles, thus ruining the movie twist at hand... I knew where I was going from the second they appeared on my screen... So Kiss the Girls was a great movie, but with great disappointment, the upside and redeeming aspect of the movie was Morgan Freeman's Alex Cross!
Then we had Along Came a Spider - now this was a great movie! I particularly appreciated this 2nd excursion for Morgan Freeman's Alex Cross. This is a movie I have watched a few times over the years and have consistently enjoyed as a well-crafted, well-cast and well-executed thriller. Where the first movie dealt with a series of kidnappings of young ladies who are being abducted by a serial offender known as the Casanova, a collector of girls of talent; Along Came a Spider dealt with the kidnapping of a young school girl, kidnapped for ransom from her school, and offered up for ransom.
Morgan Freeman excels yet again as Alex Cross, his wits pitched against a layered kidnapper and situation, navigating the situation a hand like the master mind the character is supposed to be - sadly for movie goers and for Madea, Alex Cross 2.0 fails miserably in his attempt to stride into our movie minds (and I say this with all due respect to Tyler Perry).
There is so much wrong with this movie, and I am left wondering if Tyler Perry in the hands of another director, might just have pulled this off. Not even a particularly noteworthy performance by Matthew Fox as the villain of the piece can save this sad excuse for a series reboot (partly because the character which you can visibly see Matthew Fox poured himself into, is allowed no further space to develop), and wait til you see Jean Reno, I was not prepared for The Professional to age...
You know what, I don't even want to spend anymore time writing about a movie whose closest comparison in my mind is the terrible Ballistic: Ecks Vs Sever (yes, it's just that bad)! But see for yourself...
nuff said...
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