When did we get to the point at which thumb severing became run-of-the-mill? Some sick psychopath can remove fingers from a live hand for fun and I’ll give little more than “seen it.” *sigh* You know these are consequences of the society that celebrates violence and shuns sex, folks.
Based on the serial fiction of James Patterson, Dr. Alex Cross is a character popularized by Morgan Freeman in timeless gems such as Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. And just as Jake Lloyd expertly guided us into the essence of pre-pubescent Anakin Skywalker, Tyler Perry has given us more insight into Alex Cross: apparently, he’s large. Very large. I suppose I could point out the Alex Cross keen insight into human nature and all things scientific, but when the film opened with this lumbering obelisk dodging bullets, well, it’s hard to say we’re anywhere but the land of make believe.
Sworn to secrecy about his wife’s pregnancy, Alex cannot speak and yet cannot hide his jubilation. The enormous man goes to the kitchen and bear hugs his mom (Cecily Tyson, we have a Cecily Tyson sighting), lifting her two feet off the floor. And, cliché as this moment was – there are few things so cliché as 
scripted pregnancies – it made me smile. And I was conscious of the fact that I was smiling at Tyler Perry on screen for, perhaps, the first time ever. If your writing and directing just didn’t suck, Tyler, it’s possible, just possible, I could enjoy your career.
The plot here is genius doctor Alex chasing “Picasso” (Matthew Fox), a highly intelligent psychopath into sketching, kick-boxing and sadism. It’s possible he also likes long walks on the beach. If you can imagine Jack Dawson sketching Rose and then tying her up and cutting off her thumbs, then you might be in the ballpark … Movies with an emphasis on catching a psycho, entertainment-wise, are dependent on either the details of the case or the nature of the villain. Alex Cross gets a C on both. The villain and case are just interesting enough to hold one’s attention. If the format weren’t so color-by-number (Alex’s wife is pregnant; it’s his last case as a Detroit police detective and the killer made it personal? What a coincidence!), I might even give the film a passing grade.
Where exactly does it fail? Well, piecing in retrospect — act II doesn’t make any sense. Picasso uses sadism for show and tell; I don’t get the feeling he loves it enough to justify the infliction. Cross’ partner Tommy Kane (Edward Burns) mutes his emotional responses to give Tyler the bigger spotlight – a huge mistake in acting and directing — why would Cross’ partner feel less than him? And Jean Reno showed up. Why? I can’t recommend Alex Cross and yet, and I want to make this perfectly clear: I enjoyed this Tyler Perry more than any other in which he is not a Star Fleet officer.
The killer is loose/this case is a mess
Pain & brutality show a mind remorseless
Yet even with a family life in distress
There is more levity here than Tyler in a dress.
Rated PG-13, 101 Minutes
D: Rob Cohen
W: Marc Moss, Kerry Williamson
Genre: Backstory
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: People who choose not to discern Tyler Perry from Morgan Freeman.
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Folks who hate clichéd police procedure? Serial murder? Torture? Tyler? Pick an excuse. Any excuse.
