Alex Cross 
Starring: Tyler Perry, Edward Burns, Matthew Fox, Rachel Nichols, John C. McGinley, Jean Reno, Carmen Ejogo
Directed by Rob Cohen
Rated: PG-13
Run Time: 101 mins
Genre: Action/ Crime/ Mystery
Opens October 19th
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Next up on deck for this week screenings, is Alex Cross. In a rare treat, Tyler Perry does not direct himself in the film adaptation of the novel by James Patterson, “Cross”. This film is loosely based on the book, so for the uber fans, the similarities from page to screen are very few.
Detective Dr. Alex Cross (Tyler Perry) has on his hands a particularly unusual case. When he and his team, Det. Tommy Kane (Edward Burns) and Monica Ashe (Rachel Nichols) investigate the murder of a young woman who had been tortured, security team executives, Cross knows that they have a mercenary to search for. The only clue they have is a chalk drawing that was left behind, nicknaming the killer Picasso (Matthew Fox).
Cross quickly figures out a profile and the target of Picasso's next hit: Erich Nunemacher (Werner Daehn), the chief financial officer of Mercier Industries, owned by Billionaire businessman Leon Mercier (Jean Reno). When the attempted hit goes awry, and the team gets a close look at Picasso, Monica is concerned that they may be targets on the mad men's hit list.
Cross, Det. Kane and Chief of Police Richard Brookwell (John C. McGinley) all agreed that due to the nature of the killer's profile, he would be too focused on his next victim. Men should learn to trust a woman's intuition because Monica was correct. She, along with Cross's pregnant wife, Maria (Carmen Ejogo) is Picasso's next victims, sending a message to Cross and Det. Kane. Do not insult Picasso's intelligence nor challenge him because he means business.
As a result of Monica's death, Cross is lured into dangerous territory, committing questionable acts that can jeopardize his future career in the FBI and the lives of his remaining loved ones. Will Cross be able to stop Picasso before it is too late or will his vengeance towards the madman destroy all he has left?
After discovering that Idris Elba was originally considered for the role of Cross, then had been replaced with Perry, I think the previous casting would have made this a better film. Not to say that Perry was not good, it is difficult to picture him as an action hero. He does bring a certain amount of emotional depth to Cross for the shrink aspect of the character, but this movie lacked a certain edge that the book delivers on. Matthew Fox was an intriguing choice for this role as his physical transformation into Picasso was remarkable, but his facial expressions when trying to communicate mania, came off as comical. For the movie goer that is not too picky on details and just wants to sit back and be entertained for 90 plus minutes, the film delivers on that, but if you are a fan of the book series it may not live up to expectations. You be the judge when "Alex Cross" opens in theaters starting October 19, 2012.
