Along Came a Spider is the type of generic Hollywood film that I can forgive. Sure, it goes to great lengths to hit upon every component of the thriller genre formula, but at no point during its 101 minutes does this prequel to 1997's Kiss the Girls (also based on a novel by James Patterson) make any pretense about doing otherwise.
The film, like most in the field, kicks off with a sting operation gone wrong and the resulting fatal car accident that serves no real dramatic purpose other than to provide an emotional dilemma for star investigator Alex Cross, again portrayed by veteran actor Morgan Freeman. Cross, a famously esteemed suspect profiler, blames himself for the death of his female partner in the crash. And eight months later, when Megan Dunne, the daughter of a United States senator, is kidnapped by one of her teachers, Cross must join leagues with another female partner-the young girl's assigned Secret Service agent, Jezzie Flannigan (the beautiful and talented Monica Potter).
As Cross and Flannigan quickly discover, the kidnapper (Michael Wincott) is hoping to create the "Crime of the 21st Century," and has bigger fish to fry (or catch) than an insignificant senator's daughter. The real prize is the son of the Russian president, who is a classmate and young crush of Megan's at their exclusive private school in Washington. Why the Russian president's son does not live in Russia is inconceivable, but that is the type of question that need not be asked in a thriller.
Along Came A Spider adheres so tightly to the thriller formula that at times it seems as if the filmmakers were marking off items on a checklist while they were shooting: Internet tie-in? Check. False Mission: Impossible-esque masks? Check. Cool video cameras? Check. Ten million dollar ransom? Check. Shady law officials? Check. A twist ending that comes out of (almost) nowhere? Check.
These conventions, pat and practiced as they are, work to make this film fun and entertaining. Director Lee Tamahori (The Edge) understands the genre and ensures that the suspense continues to mount from the opening shot until the closing credits. The story is quick-paced and at times heart-pounding, and Freeman, Porter and Wincott look at ease in roles they could play in their sleep.
Sure, you've seen this one before, but it's rare that you've seen it done this well before.
-By Alex Garinger
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