Taking Tyler Perry seriously in the role of the forensic psychologist that Morgan Freeman originated in the routine thriller "Kiss the Girls" 1997 and reprised in "Along Came A Spider" 2001 may challenge the African-American actor's fans who cannot envisage him without a wig and a dress. Aside from his most recent Madea comedy "Madea's Witness Protection," Perry has been testing the waters for such a move. He made a cameo appearance in the "Star Trek" reboot, and he played it straight in his own epic "Good Deeds." "Good <more> Deeds" wasn't the standard-issue, Perry potboiler. Religious themes and comedic tropes were conspicuous by their absences in this entertaining melodrama. "Alex Cross" represents Perry's boldest move to alter his image. Actually, the New Orleans native doesn't appear as out of place as an action hero as many of his fans as well as critics proclaim. Helmed by Rob Cohen, who directed "The Fast and the Furious," "xXx," and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon," "Alex Cross" qualifies as a gritty, fast-paced, no-holds-barred, above-average police procedural with the title character committing criminal acts to thwart a sadistic professional assassin. Basically, when he isn't channeling Sherlock Holmes with his shrewd insights into the behavior of others, Perry strives to be like Dirty Harry Callahan. Indeed, our gun-toting hero breaks the very laws that he was sworn to uphold so he can nab a sadistic murderer who craves to inflict pain. You've got to give Perry credit for having the nerve to make such an outlandish change in his cinematic modus operandi.A dastardly contract killer who calls himself the Butcher of Sligo Matthew Fox of "Vantage Point" enjoys torturing the victims that he neither shoots nor blasts to smithereens. Motor City Detective Dr. Alex Cross Tyler Perry , his long-time friend & colleague Detective Tommy Kane Edward Burns of "Saving Private Ryan" and Detective Monica Ashe Rachel Nichols of "Conan the Barbarian" set out to apprehend this felon after he kills a wealthy woman, Fan Yau Stephanie Jacobsen , and guns down three bodyguards. This reprobate shears off several of Fan Yau's fingers before he obtains the information that he needs about his prime target. The Butcher of Sligo sets his sights on an affluent Frenchman, Leon Mercier Jean Reno of "Armored" , who dreams about revitalizing Detroit. Cross knows they are contending with an expert who has already figured out every move and counter move that the police will make to catch him. When Cross and company confront the Butcher the first time in a high-rise where the villain has targeted white-collar types, they prove they aren't the usual doughnut munchers. Although the cunning killer eludes the police, Kane draws blood when one of his bullets nicks the bad guy in the shoulder. Nevertheless, the authorities cannot make a positive identification because this sadist has no criminal record. Eventually, Cross discovers that not even the man who hired the killer can identify him. After they find charcoal sketches that the killer plants at the crime scene, the cops nickname him 'Picasso.' Cross is surprised when this homicidal maniac goes after his unit and himself. One of the biggest surprises occurs when the killer botches an attempt on Cross, but not before he ices somebody close to our hero. "Along Came A Spider" scenarists Marc Moss and freshman scribe Kerry Williamson have adapted James Patterson's twelfth novel and penned what would otherwise be an above-average crime thriller. Half of what makes "Alex Cross" so entertaining is the casting of Perry himself as an action hero. He delivers a believable, compelling performance as a Detroit detective pitted against a ruthless assassin. Director Rob Cohen handles the cat and mouse game between the hero and the villain with verve. While Perry acquits himself well in the role, Matthew Fox steals the show as a scary killer who tools around in a Cadillac. Reportedly, the former "Lost" TV star dropped about 40 pounds to make himself look not only emaciated but also vicious. In one amusing scene, as 'Picasso,' the villain kills three guys who try to bully him. Cohen stages a terrific fight between Cross and the villain in the rafters of the decrepit Michigan Theater. Compared with the two earlier Freeman movies, "Kiss the Girls" and "Along Came a Spider," "Alex Cross" emerges as a superior saga and a new franchise for Perry to show his serious side as an actor. <less> |