Review: Alex Cross

Tyler Perry stars as the police detective and intuitive criminal profiler of the title, who is pitted against a buff, sicko serial killer calling himself Picasso (Matthew Fox) who leaves sketches at the crime scene. In fact, after preventing one of Picasso’s killings, Cross might just get a little too up close and personal with the pain-obsessed killer. Ed Burns plays Cross’ partner on the force, Aussie Stephanie Jacobsen plays an early murder victim, John C. McGinley plays the police captain who is frankly a bit useless, Jean Reno plays a rich CEO who may be one of the killer’s next targets, and Cicely Tyson plays Cross’ no-nonsense mother. Giancarlo Esposito turns up as an acquaintance of Cross’, on the other side of the fence.

 

I’ve seen some bizarre casting decisions in my time, but replacing Morgan Freeman with Tyler Fuckin’ Perry for this 2012 James Patterson adaptation from director Rob Cohen (director of the terrible “Fast and the Furious” and the enjoyable fantasy “Dragonheart”) is pretty jaw-dropping, and sadly, mostly ineffectual. Whether this was meant to be a prequel or simply a reboot, casting the cross-dressing director-actor known for making comedies aimed mostly at an African-American market, is a pretty fatal mistake. Apparently Idris Elba was originally considered for the role, and I think he or Eamonn Walker, would’ve been better in the role. Hell, even Don Cheadle would’ve at least had the screen presence and acting chops Perry simply doesn’t have. I can’t see much chance of Perry’s built-in audience coming over to this film, so the casting decision really is mind-boggling. I had no trouble putting Freeman out of my mind, don’t get me wrong, as this version of Cross turns into a kind of vigilante after a while, making him closer to Sam Jackson’s “Shaft” reboot than Freeman’s intelligent detective/profiler. Freeman probably couldn’t have played this version of the character even 20 years ago, let alone in 2012. The problem is that Perry is simply not a good enough dramatic actor and Cohen has thrown the poor guy out there without a safety net. I think Perry would make for a good sidekick or partner, and it’s not just because he’s black, it’s just that he’s far too laidback and not a strong enough actor to run this show. Credit where it’s due, he gets a bit more intense as the film goes on, and gets all Avery Brooks (if not quite Samuel L. Jackson) on us, but I doubt we’ll be seeing Perry as Cross again.

 

That’s if they even bother making another one of these films. None of the previous two films was anything to write home about, but they were much better than this film, which as scripted by Marc Moss and Kerry Williamson, comes across like a pilot for an Alex Cross TV series. Perry might actually be a more acceptable presence on the small screen, come to think of it. Matthew Fox also continues the casting-against-type as the film’s chief whack-job, and although he is miscast, he certainly tries really hard, and the film certainly tries hard to make him seem creepier and more intense than he actually is. Fox simply hasn’t got a menacing enough voice to play a nutjob killer, and just seems too nice, which he probably is. The casting doesn’t come off ultimately however (despite Fox’s best efforts to ape Pruitt Taylor Vince’s crazy darting eyes), but Fox doesn’t flop as badly as Mr. Perry. I just think a more physically dominating actor like Tom Hardy or a more intense actor like Ben Foster would’ve been better. A much more believable source of intensity is veteran character actor John C. McGinley, who once brilliantly played a serial killer in “Intensity”. Unfortunately, here he plays an image-conscious, somewhat douchy police captain. Hardly the best use of his versatile talents. Ed Burns, meanwhile, does what Ed Burns does, and if you like him you’ll like him here too. There’s a good small role for Giancarlo Esposito, but neither he nor Jean Reno are enough to save this mediocre, uninspired detective film.

 

You keep watching it because, like all of these things, the mystery keeps you going, but this one’s ultimately not very rewarding at all, and Cohen never really ratchets up any tension or urgency. Special mention must go to Cicely Tyson, who is surprisingly terrible as Cross’ mother. Boy is she having an off day here. I would also like to single out cinematographer Ricardo Della Rosa for his idiotic use of shaky-cam where none is called for. It’s not just used in the action scenes, but disastrously employed when someone is looking at a computer screen. That doesn’t create or enhance tension, it just creates an alertness to the camera’s presence and the cinematographer’s fondness for cinematic wankery. Just invented a new word there, remember that one kiddies.

 

The earlier James Patterson adaptations had their problems, but this one (apparently not very faithful to Patterson at all) is seriously flat and uninspired. Only if you’re a desperate crime-thriller buff. Seriously desperate. And have never watched “Criminal Minds”.

 

Rating: C