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Morgan
Freeman returns as police psychologist Alex Cross who is wrestling
with guilt over the death of his partner. At a private school
the daughter of a Senator under the protection of Secret Service
Agent Jezzie Flannigan (Monica Potter) is kidnapped by Gary
Soneji (Michael Wincott).
The subsequent
predictable events then follow the usual rules of kidnap thrillers
which include taunting the police psychologist over the phone,
the intricate planning of the kidnap, the victim's failed attempts
at escape and the kidnapper's close escape from an entrapment.
So far, so predictable. What makes the film better than might
be expected is the ever excellent Morgan Freeman who is teamed
with Monica Potter who has come a long way since Con-Air and
matches Freeman's performance every step of the way.
Michael Wincott,
who once again is typecast as the villain, is also very good.
This film may have a plot straight out of the file marked "Cliché",
but director Lee Tamahori, and the screenwriter Marc Moss have
put together an entertaining film that leaves the audience unprepared
for the twists in the story when they come as a good thriller
should.
What fails to lift Along Came a Spider into the hallowed grounds
of Se7en is the ending. The first hour sets everything up perfectly.
It is taut, ratchets up the tension and then blows it in the
final forty minutes.
Up to that
point the film has treated its audience with respect and intelligence
but the ending has a last minute feel to it which makes all
the carefully plotted build up worthless. It's still a good
film, but it could have been a classic of the kidnap thriller
genre. |
