Along Came a Spider

Crime story-wise, this was nothing extraordinary but was a pretty solid film. He isn't always like this, but Morgan Freeman does best in films where he's the likable hero-cop. He is definitely that in this film although his character, Alex Cross, is a little too sharp for believability. There were just a bit too many "oh, come on's" said by me watching this as Cross would get computer passwords with no trouble, etc. The odds of that happening are millions-to-one but not in the world of films. There were other examples, too, of him figuring out things that were almost impossible.

For a tough modern-day crime story this film, for the most part, was pretty low- key with low profanity and not a lot of gore or overdone action. That was surprising considering the sordid subject matter. The tameness in here, and Freeman, make this a notch (albeit a small one) above the average thriller.

I just finished watching this movie and really enjoyed it. It is one of those movies where if you walk to the kitchen for two minutes, you probably missed something important. It leaves you on the edge of your seat throughout the course of the movie. The only flaw that I have with the movie is the decision to use special effects in the first few minutes of the movie. These special effects with the car were not very "special" at all. In fact, it was so unrealistic looking that it was borderline pathetic. Fortunately, this only occurred in this one scene. However, the scene with the thermos (as to not give anything away) was excellent and extremely creative. Morgan Freeman did his usual brilliant job of acting. If you like a good suspenseful thriller/mystery, this may be a good choice for you. 8.5 Stars.

When a senator's daughter gets kidnapped from a exclusive private school by her teacher Gary Soneji, the FBI are called in. However the kidnapper has his own agenda and phones Alex Cross, sucking him into the case even though he has not worked for almost a year due to the guilt he feels over the death of his partner. With the killer leaving him clues, Cross realises that Soneji is after fame and is using him to communicate to the world. Taking on Secret Service agent Jezzie Flannigan as his partner, Cross tries to work out enough about Soneji to profile and catch him.

It has been too many years since I saw Kiss The Girls for me to be able to comment on the quality or lack thereof in the first film but I decided to give this sequel a try anyway. From the opening scene this is pure Hollywood with its clunky CGI and its simplistic plot device of the dead partner and so we continue with a fairly uninspiring thriller that is engaging enough but never does anything that special. It doesn't help that the primetime schedules are full of versions of Alex Cross in TV series mysteries but generally this film just plods its way through a story that isn't "obvious" so much as it is uninspiring. It is an enjoyable enough mystery that is professionally handled but it lacks imagination and flair. The twists come but the film is not exciting enough to prevent the audience from thinking and, in thinking it is easy to rip massive holes in the logic of the whole thing – and thinking a plot is a bit silly doesn't help keep one interested. Tamahori directs without any distinction – he isn't bad but again he doesn't do anything of that much interest.

Instead he sits back and hopes that Morgan Freeman doing Morgan Freeman's "Zen-cool™" will be enough to carry the audience along with the whole affair. Luckily for him this does work to some degree because Freeman on his day could sell shoes to fish. He is solid and professional even if he is underserved by the script. Wincott is good in a role that he could have made more of but instead is controlled and restrained. Potter is blond and dull and is not suited one jot to the role that her character grows into during the film. Baker deserves a bigger role while Miller, Horsford and a few others provide familiar faces.

Overall then an entertaining but uninspired affair that pushes the right buttons but doesn't aspire to anything beyond the genre. The cast and the budget help but the story gets weaker the longer it goes on and although it will do enough for some viewers, it is nothing that special.

I must say this film was better than your average thriller to me. Call me stupid, that's just fine, but I didn't see the ending coming at all. Of course, it didn't hurt the film's stature to have Morgan Freeman back in the lead role, the guy doesn't seem to be able to make a bad film and is one of the most underappreciated actors of his time. Also, Michael Wincott is one hell of a great villain, as he has proved time and time again in The Crow and Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, as well as this film. Monica Potter is indeed Julia Robert's clone, and that's not good in my eyes. I cannot stand Julia Roberts or any movie she has ever been in (I actually WATCHED My Best Friend's Wedding with my girlfriend in the theaters, and it was so bad even she couldn't watch it). All in all, I highly recommend this film as a modern day thriller. Yes, it has a few holes and gets bogged down a bit in the middle, but Freeman as always is a delight to watch and the film is about as good a thriller as you'll find in modern times. That's just one guy's opinion.

"Along Came A Spider" works. It may suffer from one plot twist too many, it may borrow liberally from other pictures, it may have narrative holes you could run a horse race through, but in spite of all that, it WORKS. And as everyone knows, that is about the highest compliment a film like this can be paid.

Directed by Lee Tamahori, "Along Came a Spider" hits the ground running with a bravura sequence in which a federal sting goes horribly wrong and a good agent dies. Det. Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman), the leader of the sting, goes into brooding isolation, but a year later, the daughter of a U.S. congressman (Michael Moriarty) is kidnapped from her prestigious Washington boarding school by a brilliant madman, and Cross, a mental wizard with the ability to see into the mind of the maddest psychopath, is the only one who can track the criminal's M.O. and save the girl.

Standard thriller territory, and it's given more or less standard treatment, albeit with a fair share of stylistic spark and energy. Tamahori does a good job choreographing his action set pieces, particularly that shattering opening and a nifty cat-and-mouse chase that closes out the picture. Cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti gives the film a dark, brooding visual richness, and Jerry Goldsmith contributes another thunderously effective thriller score.

The acting is also generally strong across the board. Morgan Freeman.. what can one say? I honestly cannot think of another modern actor who has done such consistently high-quality work. Granted, Cross does not seem like a role that would overly tax a top-notch thespian like Freeman, but he doesn't sell it short either, giving the character his full, commanding force. He is the tough, solid center that really elevates "Along Came A Spider" above pulp territory. Michael Wincott plays the psycho (as naturally he would; what else is Michael Wincott going to play in a film?), and gives it his gravelly-voiced best, making us hate this guy just as much as we should. Monica Potter is fine as the young security officer helping Cross track the fiend, but I was constantly distracted by the fact that her voice sounds EXACTLY LIKE JULIA ROBERTS! I swear, it sounded like she'd been dubbed. Am I the only one who noticed this? Probably, so I'll drop it.

If there's any real complaint to be had with "Along Came A Spider" (aside from my weird personal difficulties with Monica Potter's voice), it is an age-old one for a thriller: script problems. Screenwriter Marc Moss keeps things moving nicely, and there are some clever moments throughout, but the film also raises unanswered questions. What was the purpose of the weird Lindbergh website the kidnapper sets up? When will they learn that internet-related plot devices just don't work in films? What was the point of the Russian kid who seems to play such a big role in the middle portion of the picture? Why did Moss feel the need to crib his most exciting sequence, a footchase with the maniac leading Cross through Washington via cell phone, from "Dirty Harry"? Granted, I haven't read the novel by James Patterson upon which this film was based, so I may not be casting blame in the right place. But Patterson didn't write this script, so maybe I am.

As I mentioned before, however, all of this largely doesn't matter. In the moment, while it's unfurling in front of you, the film's fast pace, engaging performances, and visual polish keep you intrigued, and allow you to overlook the plot's more outrageous contrivances and awkward reversals. "Along Came A Spider" is not a perfect thriller, but brother..it WORKS.