A movie where Tyler Perry doesn’t wear a dress, now that’s a rarity. Maybe he should do this more often as he doesn’t do half bad. Alex Cross is a film about a detective named of course Alex Cross who uses his doctorate in psychology to help him solve crimes for the Detroit Police Department. This is the third time the character has been on film with the previous entries being Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. In those films, he was portrayed by veteran actor Morgan Freeman. Tyler Perry does a good job at making the part his own and playing something that I believe is totally different from what Morgan Freeman brought to the table. The film starts out kind of bland but quickly escalates when we are introduced to the main villain named Picasso. Not to spoil the movie, but there is a “shit just got real” moment where we see Alex Cross realize he has to take this guy down before anyone else gets hurt. While good, I feel as if this film could have been a little longer. About fifteen more minutes to be precise. They could have added more of the Cross character acting outside of the law and more of Picasso killing off his targets. This would have helped the film because it would have given hero and villain more time to interact. Also, the final fight could have been done better. It was a little lackluster for me as my appetite was not fulfilled by the quick and simple brawl. The film could have also used one or two more well-known actors. This would have taken some of the weight of the film off of Tyler Perry’s shoulders. John C. McGinley in another police officer role doesn’t quite cut it. With a little longer running time and a few more actors, I don’t see why this couldn’t turn into a moderately successful reboot franchise. A sequel could take on a more 007 vibe to it as we see Cross joining the FBI at the end of the film and moving to D.C. with his family. Hopefully, Robert Cohen reads this review and takes my advice. I give Alex Cross a Decent 7.5/10!
Overall good review. I think you could have mentioned how the end fight scene was too shaky with the camera. I agree with you about adding length and a few more known actors though. Nice review.