Alex Cross

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Alex Cross

October 21, 2012

My Opinion:

3 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

3.5 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment

My Suggestion:  dvd

The gist:  Alex Cross, a detective (played by Tyler Perry) is trying to track down a psychopathic killer on a meticulous killing spree in Detroit.  The killer, called the Butcher (played by Matthew Fox) brings torture and pain to a new level for his victims.  When the chase becomes personal, Alex Cross is pushed to his limits to bring the Butcher to justice.

My take:

I am a huge James Patterson fan and have read, and loved every Alex Cross novel.  When I saw the previews for the movie I was so excited because I loved the two prior film adaptations (Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider).  My excitement quickly faded when I saw that Tyler Perry had been cast in the role of Alex Cross.  I just couldn’t picture it.  Morgan Freeman is an amazing actor and even he didn’t live up to my expectations for Alex Cross in the previous movies.  (guess I might have had my sights set too high)!  I went into it with an open mind and I am so glad that I did.

First, I want to discuss the cast.  Tyler Perry was actually quite good as Alex Cross.  He brought a sensitivity and edge to the character that was unexpected.  He managed to make Alex Cross a bad-ass and highly intelligent detective which was great for the movie.  Matthew Fox was absolutely incredible as the psychopath the Butcher of Sligo.  He was beyond believable as a sadistic and brutal killing machine.  I say machine because there were moments in the film that he didn’t seem at all human.  He was also lean, chiseled and tattooed up! He completely stole the show from Perry.  Edward Burns plays Alex’s life-long friend and partner Tommy.  He was fine in the role and very likable.

The film started off at a fast pace, then slowed down for about a half hour, then picked back up and didn’t back off until the end.  As with all the books, the end is never what you think and this movie doesn’t disappoint in that respect.  There were a few parts that were a bit too graphic for my taste but I can see why those parts were there to give the film a raw and brutal feeling.  One of my favorite parts was that Alex Cross actually makes a horrible mistake that costs his team dearly.  This is very reminiscent of the books where he is portrayed as a witty detective who is still human.

The reason that I didn’t give this movie 5 buckets of popcorn is two-fold.  First off, if you aren’t a huge Alex Cross and James Patterson fan most of the movie comes off as your typical cop chases bad guy flick.  There are some gasp-worthy moments but most are due to the brutality of the killer.  The second reason is strictly personal.  Because I am such a fan of the books I wanted things to be a little more like the books.  I understand that changes need to be made to adapt the novel to a movie but some things are golden and should not be messed with such as: 1)  I wish the location would have been in DC instead of Detroit (although there is a nice reference to Alex joining the FBI and moving to DC so that made me happy).  2)  I really missed John Sampson (Cross’ partner in the books)  3)  I wish he would have been driving his old, beat up Porsche.

This is an action paced and enjoyable movie, but with all the other great movies out right now I personally think it would be a great rental.