At first, you hear the name Tyler Perry and you think “Madea” because Perry made his reputation with, count them—12 movies—playing that character. And then you hear that “Madea” will now play a cop in a thriller and you think, “No way.”
Well, yes way, it turns out. Pretty much. At first the tendency is to snicker because who wants to take Madea seriously? But Perry soon announces his dramatic presence with authority, and everyone breathes easier.
Unfortunately, putting Perry in Alex Cross is like putting a stock-car engine in a go-kart. It’s too skimpy a vehicle, and he runs the wheels off it.
Cross (Perry) is a Detroit homicide detective with a Ph.D. in psychology. He’s got well nigh Sherlock Holmes observation skills. Cross and partner Tommy (Edward Burns) are after a sadistic serial killer (Matthew Fox).
The killer, nicknamed Picasso since he likes to make Picasso-styled sketches of his victims, is on a mayhem rampage. Said rampage appears to be headed in the direction of one Leon Mercier (Jean Reno), a man of great wealth, who alerts Cross to his pending Picasso predicament.
Picasso then kills someone close to Cross, making it personal, and so the chase begins. You know the rest of the story. The only question becomes—after Cross goes home and locks, loads, and straps on an enormous number of guns—can he contain his righteous rage and not be contaminated by Picasso’s poisonous personality?
As mentioned, the main problem with this film is that it’s just not up to carrying Tyler Perry’s dramatic debut. It’s got bad acting, treacle-y music, loads of clichés concerning the black middle class, and garish amateur-hour lighting.
[etRating value=“ 2.5”]
The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 19 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
